Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 19 (ANI): In a significant policy decision aimed at strengthening Gujarat's position as India's semiconductor manufacturing hub, the state government has granted permission to Micron Semiconductor Technology India Private Limited's Sanand facility to operate 12-hour work shifts--the first such approval of its kind in Gujarat--while retaining the statutory weekly working limit of 48 hours.
According to a release, the approval has been granted under the provisions of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020, which came into force across the country on November 21, 2025. The Code allows state governments to exempt factories from certain provisions, subject to safeguards, while ensuring that employees do not work beyond the prescribed weekly limit.
"The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code focuses on promoting Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Compliance. While the Code prescribes a maximum of 48 working hours per week, it also empowers the appropriate government to grant exemptions in the case of factories. Gujarat has exercised this provision keeping in view the larger public interest, economic growth and employment generation in the state," said Gujarat Minister of Labour, Skill Development and Employment Kunvarji Bavaliya.
The approval comes as Gujarat seeks to consolidate its leadership in India's fast-growing semiconductor sector. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has identified semiconductors as a strategic pillar of India's ambition to become a global technology and manufacturing powerhouse, with the India Semiconductor Mission aiming to build a complete domestic chip manufacturing ecosystem, the release noted.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat has emerged as the country's leading destination for semiconductor investments, with projects spanning fabrication, assembly, packaging, testing and advanced electronics manufacturing.
Micron Technology's Sanand facility is expected to play a key role in the company's global manufacturing network. The first phase of the project will include more than 500,000 square feet of cleanroom space, including one of the world's largest single-floor semiconductor assembly and test cleanrooms. The facility is expected to assemble and test tens of millions of semiconductor chips in 2026, with production capacity projected to scale to hundreds of millions of chips annually from 2027.
The release said that semiconductor manufacturing differs from conventional factory operations because production processes run continuously in highly controlled cleanroom environments. Chip assembly and testing involve sophisticated automated equipment operating around the clock, making uninterrupted production critical for efficiency and product quality.
Industry experts note that 12-hour shifts are a globally accepted operational model across semiconductor manufacturing facilities. The longer shifts reduce the number of shift changes, minimise cleanroom entries, improve equipment utilisation and enable continuous production in facilities involving multi-billion-dollar investments. At the same time, the overall weekly working limit remains unchanged, with employees working fewer days each week.
The state government has made the approval subject to stringent labour safeguards. Adult workers may work up to 12 hours a day only if their total working hours do not exceed 48 hours in a week, with the remaining days treated as paid leave.
Importantly, only workers who voluntarily provide written consent will be eligible to work 12-hour shifts, the release stated.
The government has also stipulated that the total spread of work, including rest intervals, must not exceed 12 hours in a day. Rest breaks must comply with the provisions of the OSH Code, 2020, and the Gujarat Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2025.
Companies will be required to maintain separate records of employees working under the approved arrangement and comply with any additional conditions imposed by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator for Factories. Any violation of the prescribed conditions will lead to cancellation of the approval and invite legal action against the establishment.
"The relaxation reflects the state's commitment to accelerating industrial development, expanding economic activity and creating new employment opportunities while supporting industries of strategic national importance, particularly the semiconductor sector," said Gujarat Minister of State for Labour, Skill Development and Employment Kantilal Amrutiya.
The release said that Gujarat was the first state in the country to introduce a dedicated semiconductor policy offering comprehensive incentives and support for the industry. Backed by this policy, the state has secured six major projects approved under the India Semiconductor Mission, attracting investments of nearly Rs 1.4 lakh crore. The projects are expected to generate around 50,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities, reinforcing Gujarat's position at the centre of India's emerging semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. (ANI)
Gujarat approves 12-hour work shifts for Micron Semiconductor Plant within 48-hour weekly limit
