Section 25 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 25 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (the OSH Code) sets the ceiling on daily hours of work: no worker may be required or allowed to work more than eight hours in a day. The same section adds special rules for mines, motor transport workers, working journalists and sales promotion employees, and sends adolescent workers' hours to the Child and Adolescent Labour Act, 1986.
No worker shall be required or allowed to work in any establishment for more than eight hours in a day, with intervals and spread-overs as the appropriate Government notifies (section 25(1)). Mines have shift and below-ground rules; motor transport hours include running time, subsidiary work and short attendance. A working journalist's hours are prescribed subject to a maximum of 144 hours in four consecutive weeks and 24 consecutive hours of rest in seven days (25(2)). Journalists and sales promotion employees get earned leave and medical leave (25(3)). Adolescent hours follow the 1986 Act (25(4)). The 48-hour weekly limit appears in Rule 64 of the Central Rules, not in the section.
Section 25(1): the eight-hour day
| Element | Text |
|---|---|
| Daily limit | No worker required or allowed to work more than eight hours in a day |
| Intervals and spread-over | The period of work each day must be fixed so as not to exceed those hours, with intervals and spread-overs as notified by the appropriate Government |
| Who | Any establishment or class of establishments |
The section's heading mentions "weekly" hours, but the eight-hour limit is stated per day. A weekly figure is found in Rule 64(1) of the Central Rules, 2026: no worker shall be required or allowed to work in an establishment for more than forty-eight hours in a week. Where a State Government is the appropriate Government, read the State's rules for the weekly limit.
Employers who run shifts, split duties or long spread-overs, and want to test their rosters against these limits, can get help from our labour law compliance service.
Mines (first proviso)
Subject to the eight-hour limit:
- persons employed below ground shall not work more than the hours the Central Government notifies in any day;
- no work below ground except by a system of shifts, each shift not spread over more than that notified daily maximum; and
- no person employed in a mine shall be present below ground except during the periods of work shown for him in the register under section 33(a); see section 33.
Motor transport workers (second proviso)
Hours of work of a motor transport worker include:
- time spent in work during the running time of the vehicle;
- time spent in subsidiary work; and
- periods of mere attendance at terminals of less than fifteen minutes.
The Explanation defines three terms:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Running time | From the moment the vehicle starts functioning at the beginning of the working day until it ceases at the end, excluding interruptions exceeding the duration the Central Government prescribes during which persons are at liberty to dispose of their time or are engaged in subsidiary work |
| Subsidiary work | Work connected with the vehicle, passengers or load outside running time, including accounts, paying cash, signing registers, handing over service sheets and checking tickets; taking over and garaging the vehicle; travelling from the sign-on place to where the vehicle is taken over and back to the sign-off place; upkeep and repair; and loading and unloading |
| Period of mere attendance | Time a person remains at his post solely to reply to possible calls or to resume action at the time fixed in the duty schedule |
Rule 64(2) of the Central Rules says that for a transport vehicle, a maximum of fifteen minutes of interruption is allowed at any time during which the vehicle's running is interrupted. The text of the Rule does not say more than that.
Section 25(2): working journalists
Notwithstanding 25(1), the hours of work for a working journalist are as the Central Government prescribes, subject to a maximum of 144 hours of work in any period of four consecutive weeks and not less than 24 consecutive hours of rest in any period of seven consecutive days. See the definition in motor transport, newspaper and plantation definitions.
Rule 65 of the Central Rules sets the details, including: a normal working day (excluding meal time) of six hours on a day shift and five and a half hours on a night shift; a rest interval after four hours of work on a day shift (one hour) and after three hours on a night shift (half an hour), subject to agreement; overtime beyond those hours compensated by equal hours of rest or by wages at twice the rate; and limits on continuous night shift (not more than one week at a time or in fourteen days). Rule 65 does not apply to editors, and has a special scheme for correspondents, reporters and news photographers. See Rule 65.
Section 25(3): leave for sales promotion employees and working journalists
Notwithstanding 25(1) and (2), a sales promotion employee or a working journalist:
| Clause | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| (i) | In addition to holidays, casual leave or other leave as prescribed, if requested: (a) earned leave on full wages for not less than one-eleventh of the period spent on duty; (b) leave on medical certificate on half wages for not less than one-eighteenth of the period of service |
| (ii) | May accumulate earned leave up to a maximum the Centre prescribes |
| (iii) | Entitled to a limit up to which earned leave may be encashed or availed of at a time, and the reasons for exceeding it, as prescribed |
| (iv) | On voluntary relinquishment, retirement, or termination for any reason other than as punishment: cash compensation for earned leave not availed, subject to prescribed conditions |
| (v) | On death in service, heirs receive cash compensation for earned leave not availed, equal to the wages due for that period |
Rule 66 gives the detail, including ten holidays in a calendar year, compensatory holiday within thirty days, wages on holidays and the weekly day of rest as if on duty, and earned leave of not less than one month for every eleven months on duty, ceasing when earned leave due reaches 120 days. See Rule 66.
Section 25(4): adolescents
The working hours of an adolescent worker are regulated in accordance with the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 (61 of 1986).
Practical points
- Day versus week. Test both limits: eight hours a day under the Code and, where the Central Rules apply, 48 hours a week under Rule 64.
- Overtime. Hours beyond the prescribed limits attract double-rate wages under sections 27 and 28, with the worker's consent.
- Rest. Weekly rest is covered by section 26.
- Notice. Periods of work must be displayed under section 31; see section 31.
- For the old-law comparison on hours, see our guide on working hours under the Factories Act.
Example. A logistics firm's driver starts the vehicle at 6 a.m., does his run, then spends an hour on cash accounts and vehicle loading at the depot. Under the second proviso, the subsidiary work counts as hours of work along with the running time. A short wait of ten minutes at a terminal, solely to respond to calls, is a period of mere attendance of less than fifteen minutes and is also counted.
Need help with working-hour compliance?
Rosters, spread-overs and overtime records are where hours disputes start. Our labour law compliance team can help you check your shift patterns, sector-specific rules and overtime register against the Code and the applicable rules.
Key takeaways
- The Code sets an eight-hour daily limit, with intervals and spread-overs as notified.
- Mines, motor transport workers, working journalists and sales promotion employees have special rules within the section.
- Motor transport hours include running time, subsidiary work and attendance of less than fifteen minutes.
- Working journalists: maximum 144 hours in four consecutive weeks and 24 hours of rest in seven days.
- Rule 64 of the Central Rules adds the 48-hour weekly limit.
- Adolescent hours follow the 1986 Act.
Read next
- Section 24: welfare facilities in the establishment
- Section 26: weekly and compensatory holidays
- Sections 27 and 28: extra wages for overtime and night shifts
- Working hours for adults in factories
Disclaimer: Based on the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (as enacted) and, where noted, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026), as on 30 September 2026. The Code is in force from 21 November 2025; some provisions may be notified later, and State Governments make their own rules for establishments where the State is the appropriate Government. Verify the current position before acting.