Chandigarh/New Delhi : The Haryana Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini here today, has approved the Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, aimed at modernizing labour laws, simplifying compliance procedures and promoting a business-friendly environment while safeguarding workers’ welfare.
The amendment aligns the Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958 with current economic realities and the State’s ongoing reforms for Ease of Doing Business. The key objectives include rationalizing regulations, introducing digital systems for transparency, decriminalizing minor offences, and ensuring balanced protection for workers.
Under the amended provisions, the Act will now apply to establishments employing 20 or more workers, registration will be in automatic mode on the basis of self certification through an online portal, ensuring faster, transparent and accountable service.
To enhance operational flexibility, working hours are made flexible to suit 5 days week or 6 days week working, while weekly working limits remained unchanged at 48 hours. The continuous and the quarterly overtime limit has been raised from 50 to 156 hours, enabling businesses to manage peak workloads efficiently and allowing voluntary workers to avail more overtime allowance at twice the normal wage rates.
The Ordinance makes it mandatory for all employers to issue appointment letters and identity cards to their employees.
The amendment also replaces imprisonment clauses for minor procedural or economic offences with monetary penalties, ensuring effective enforcement without criminalizing small business owners. The penalties have been rationalized to promote compliance and accountability in a fair and facilitative manner.