Females over 18 allowed to work night shifts in hospitality sector

• A change aimed at addressing industry demands while ensuring formal safeguards for women working during night hours 

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya  

The government has taken a step toward modernizing its labour laws, with the Cabinet of Ministers approving an amendment that will allow females over 18 working in hotels and restaurants to be employed during night hours.   

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved an amendment to the Shop and Office Servants (Regulation of Service and Remuneration) Act, enabling women over 18 employed in hospitality sectors to work night shifts.   

Under the amendment, female employees in the hospitality sector may now be engaged between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., a change aimed at addressing industry demands while ensuring formal safeguards for women working during night hours.

The Cabinet also endorsed a proposal by the Minister of Labour to submit the amended order, issued under Section 66 of the Act, to Parliament for approval. Once endorsed, it will be published in the Government Gazette.   

Night work for women in Sri Lanka has long been restricted under a series of outdated labour laws, limiting employment opportunities and reinforcing traditional gender norms. The Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act of 1954 prohibits the employment of women in shops or offices outside the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. window, with limited exceptions such as residential hotels.   

While originally intended as welfare protections, these provisions have increased employer costs and created constraints on female participation in the workforce.   

Some of these restrictions were eased in May 2024, when legal amendments allowed women in sectors such as information technology, knowledge process outsourcing, business process outsourcing, and administrative or accounting roles for offshore companies to work beyond 6 p.m.   

It was reported that the change is expected to benefit thousands of women in an industry comprising more than 300 companies.