Overview

• Establishments with up to 20 workers will be exempt from most provisions of the Act but must submit basic information to the Labour Department within six months of enactment
• Quarterly overtime limits jump from 50 to 144 hours and daily work spread extends to 12 hours with double pay for hours beyond nine per day or 48 per week
• Firms employing 20 or more staff will receive deemed registration approval within 24 hours under the streamlined process
• Penalties under Sections 21 and 26 are raised to a minimum of Rs 1,000 and a maximum of Rs 30,000, with a three-month grace period before repeat fines
• A new Section 26A allows compounding of offences without court appearances and the full package will be tabled after stakeholder consultations