Gandhinagar, Feb 17: The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the Gujarat Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, raising the threshold for the law’s applicability and revising provisions related to working hours and overtime. Presenting the Bill in the House, Labour and Employment Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya said the amendments were introduced in view of changing economic and social conditions and the need to balance the interests of workers, traders, employers, and the wider public.
Under the revised provisions, the Act will now apply to shops and establishments employing 20 or more workers, instead of the earlier threshold of 10. Establishments employing fewer than 20 workers will not be required to register under the Act, but must provide online intimation. The minister said this change would ease compliance for small traders and start-ups. The amendment also increases the daily working hours limit from nine to 10 hours. In addition, the limit for continuous work without a break has been extended from 5 to 6 hours. The maximum overtime limit has been raised from 125 to 144 hours per quarter. Bavaliya told the Assembly that extending permissible working hours would enhance customer convenience and help accelerate economic activity. “To give impetus to economic activity and contribute to the country’s economic development, the daily working hours limit has been increased from nine hours to 10 hours,” he said. Referring to the increase in overtime limits, he added that higher productivity would benefit establishments and improve workers’ economic well-being.