Industry experts cited by the state government said 12-hour shifts are a globally accepted operating model in semiconductor manufacturing. | Photo Credit: Dado Ruvic

The Gujarat government has approved 12-hour work shifts at Micron Semiconductor Technology India Pvt Ltd’s Sanand facility, marking the first such approval for any factory in the state, while retaining the statutory limit of 48 working hours a week.

The approval has been granted under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020, which came into force across India on November 21, 2025. The Code permits state governments to grant exemptions to factories from certain provisions, subject to prescribed safeguards.

Under the arrangement approved by Gujarat, adult workers can work up to 12 hours a day, but their total working hours cannot exceed 48 hours in a week. Workers can opt for the extended shifts only through written consent, with the remaining days treated as paid leave, stated an official release from the government on Wednesday.

“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,” Gujarat’s Labour, Skill Development and Employment Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya stated in the release.

The approval is aimed at accommodating the operational requirements of semiconductor manufacturing, where production processes run continuously in highly controlled cleanroom environments. Chip assembly and testing involve sophisticated automated equipment that operates around the clock, making uninterrupted production important for equipment utilisation, efficiency and product quality.

Industry experts cited by the state government said 12-hour shifts are a globally accepted operating model in semiconductor manufacturing. Longer shifts can reduce the number of shift changes and cleanroom entries, improve equipment utilisation and support continuous production at facilities involving multi-billion-dollar investments.

Under the Gujarat approval, however, the longer shifts do not increase the overall weekly working limit. Employees working 12-hour shifts will work fewer days in a week, with the remaining days treated as paid leave. The state has also imposed several safeguards. The total spread of work, including rest intervals, cannot exceed 12 hours a day, while rest breaks must comply with the OSH Code, 2020 and the Gujarat Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2025.

Micron 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 conditions can result in cancellation of the approval and legal action against the establishment.

The approval comes as Gujarat seeks to strengthen its position as India’s leading semiconductor manufacturing destination, with projects spanning fabrication, assembly, packaging, testing and advanced electronics manufacturing. Micron Technology’s Sanand facility is expected to form an important part of the company’s global manufacturing network. Its first phase will have more than 500,000 sq ft 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 Gujarat government said the approval for extended shifts is intended to support the continuous operating requirements of such a facility while retaining worker safeguards under the labour framework.

The state government said Gujarat was the first state in India to introduce a dedicated semiconductor policy offering incentives and support for the sector. Six major semiconductor projects approved under the India Semiconductor Mission have been secured by Gujarat, involving investments of nearly ₹1.4 lakh crore, according to the state government. These projects are expected to generate around 50,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Published on August 19, 2026