India labour code allows four-day weeks, keeps hours

India’s new labour code allows a four-day workweek, but it does not create a shorter workweek. The Times of India reported on May 20 that employees can work the same weekly total in fewer days if employers allow it. The weekly ceiling remains 48 hours under the new labour codes, according to the report and a separate Times of India report on the notified rules. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) That means a worker who opts for four days could work as much as 12 hours a day, including mandated breaks and rest periods. ### Does the new rule actually give workers fewer hours? The answer is no: the 48-hour weekly cap stays in place under the new labour codes. The Times of India said the change allows employers to reorganize the same weekly hours across four days instead of the more common five- or six-day pattern. (labour.gov.in) A four-day schedule, as described in the report, therefore means compressed hours rather than reduced hours. If a worker completes 48 hours in four days, the daily total could reach 12 hours, with breaks included. ### Is the four-day week mandatory for all employers? (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The four-day week is not mandatory. The Times of India reported that the arrangement is an option, not a compulsory national policy, and said employers cannot force workers into a compressed schedule without consent. The Ministry of Labour and Employment’s labour-codes page shows that the framework sits within a larger overhaul that consolidated 29 central labour laws into four codes. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) A government press release dated November 21, 2025 said those four codes were made effective from that date. ### Where does the 12-hour day come from? The 12-hour figure comes from dividing the unchanged 48-hour week across four working days. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The Times of India said an employee opting for a four-day week may have to work up to 12 hours a day, including breaks and rest periods required under labour laws. May 9 rules notified by the Centre also capped weekly working hours at 48 and said workers going beyond that limit must be paid double their defined hourly wages, according to the Times of India. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (labour.gov.in) ### What happens if someone works beyond the approved limit? Overtime protections remain in place under the labour-code framework. The Times of India reported that if an employee works beyond the approved schedule or exceeds the 48-hour weekly limit, the employer must pay overtime wages at twice the normal rate. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The same May 9 report said the new rules were final under the Code on Wages and the Industrial Relations Code, while old rules would remain in force for the other two codes until final notification. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### Will the same system apply everywhere in India? State-level implementation remains part of the picture. The Times of India said several state Shops and Establishments laws still prescribe daily work-hour limits, often around 8 to 10 hours, which could affect how a four-day schedule works in practice across states. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Puneet Gupta, a partner at EY India, told the Times of India on May 9 that the central rules would largely apply where the central government is the “appropriate government,” including telecom, banking and insurance, mines, oil fields, major ports, air transport and central public sector undertakings and their contractors. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### Where can workers and employers check the rules themselves? The Ministry of Labour and Employment lists the Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026, the Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026, and ministry FAQs on its labour-codes page. The ministry’s FAQ documents are dated January 2026 and March 2026, and the site also carries handbooks and code texts. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The next reference point for employers and workers is the ministry’s rules-and-FAQ page and any state notifications that set how daily limits and local compliance will operate. (labour.gov.in) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)