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Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

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Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#21
So from what I can tell, it sounds like this is a win for women in India. They were restricted from working as long as men (and still are?) so they couldn't make as much money as men.

I mostly post this because my initial reaction was "oh they made it easier to abuse them!" but it sounds like that's not actually the case, which is a bit of a relief.

Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If tens (or hundreds?) of thousands of rather well-paid American professionals are also working in the conditions mentioned (12-hour shifts), then I assume that the headline is "anything that says 'Apple'" clickbait. Or a symptom of sheltered & pampered western office workers - who at times seem to view normal, physical work as a human rights violation.

I used to do 12 hour shifts in EMS, where men and women are on the same shift system, so no issue with the hours. But factory work (which I've also done, 8 hour shifts) is constantly intense across the whole shift and I wouldn't want to do it for 12 hours.

Not trying to justify the 12 hour shift, but I imagine work at an electronics factory would be less stressful than your typical factory job.

Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#24
post #4

Gut Reaction: In what ways is this different from woman nurses in American hospitals regularly working 12-hour (or longer) shifts?

Well, there’s no shift manager walking the hallways in hospitals with clubs threatening you to work faster or suffer punishment. And the nurses can quit without fear of violence or imprisonment.

Gut Reaction - How short of shifts would make those things okay? 10 hour? 8 hour? 6 hour?

Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#25
post #21

So from what I can tell, it sounds like this is a win for women in India. They were restricted from working as long as men (and still are?) so they couldn't make as much money as men. I mostly post this because my initial reaction was "oh they made it easier to abuse them!" but it sounds like that's not actually the case, which is a bit of a relief.

Or maybe the men are already being abused? Perhaps if there were working hour rules for everyone, wages would have to come up?

The US has working hour regulations, but I don't hear the workers complain that they are being stifled from working as much as the want.

Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#26

I read TFA and didn't notice an answer to my question below. Do men already have this permission? If so, I don't see why women shouldn't.

This article[1] has a bit more detail. It mentions:

> The maximum work hours for workers in Karnataka industries will be 12 hours in a day but capped at the same 48-hour work week. This means workers can put in 4-day or 5-day work weeks while more flexibility is available for the management of daily production lines.

> Finally, women will now be allowed to work night shifts – from 7pm to 6am.

[1] https://www.india-briefing.com/news/karnataka-india-work-hou...

Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#27

I have very little understanding of India. While reading the article, it sounds like the changes to Indian labor law would enable more hours to be worked. However, I don't understand whether this is a good or bad thing for the average worker (and/or woman) in India. Can someone provide more insight? Thanks.

It's terrible for the workers, because currently they get overtime pay beyond 9 hours, this law effectively reduces overtime by 3 hours. Women also play a bigger role in running the household, and with 12-hour shifts plus commute time, this must take a big toll on the family.

Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#28
post #21

So from what I can tell, it sounds like this is a win for women in India. They were restricted from working as long as men (and still are?) so they couldn't make as much money as men. I mostly post this because my initial reaction was "oh they made it easier to abuse them!" but it sounds like that's not actually the case, which is a bit of a relief.

Or maybe the men are already being abused? Perhaps if there were working hour rules for everyone, wages would have to come up? The US has working hour regulations, but I don't hear the workers complain that they are being stifled from working as much as the want.

What's inherently abusive about a 12 hour work day?

And you don't here complaints in the US because the US does not limit the amount of hours you can work in a day. It just says that companies must provide an unpaid break for more than 5 consecutive hours of work.

Re: Apple and Foxconn win permission for 12-hour shifts for women in India

#29
post #4

Gut Reaction: In what ways is this different from woman nurses in American hospitals regularly working 12-hour (or longer) shifts?

Perhaps it's not worse, but why do we reflexively set the bar at the worst working conditions we can think of?

My mother did twelve-hour shifts as a nurse because that was her preference. There were plenty of opportunities for more traditional shifts but because most nursing jobs with twelve-hour shifts are working seven days straight and then have seven days off, she liked it better having those long stretches of uninterrupted days off when she could pursue her personal interests. My siblings and I adapted pretty quickly and learned to hold anything that wasn't an emergency or needed immediate attention until her days off.
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