65. Working hours of working journalist.– (1) The provisions under this rule shall apply to working journalist but not apply to editors or to correspondents, reporters or news photographers.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1), the following provisions shall apply to every correspondent, reporter or news photographer stationed at the place at which the newspaper establishment in relation to which any such person is employed is situated, namely-

(a) subject to such agreement as may be arrived at either collectively or individually between the parties concerned, every such correspondent, reporter or news photographer shall, once enters upon duty on any day, be deemed to be on duty throughout that day till finishes all the work assigned during that day:

Provided that if such correspondent, reporter or news photographer has had at their disposal for rest any interval or intervals for a total period of two hours or less between any two or more assignments of work, they shall not be deemed to be on duty during such period:

Provided further that where the total period of such interval or intervals exceeds two hours, they shall be deemed to be on duty during the period which is in excess of the said period of two hours;

(b) period of working in excess of thirty-six hours during any week, which shall be considered as a unit of work for the purposes of this sub-rule, shall be compensated by rest during the succeeding week and shall be given in one or more spells of not less than three hours each:

Provided that where the aggregate of the excess hours worked falls short of three hours, the duration of rest shall be limited only to such excess.

(3) The number of hours which shall constitute a normal working day for a working journalist exclusive of the time for meals shall not exceed six hours per day in the case of a day shift and five and a half hours per day in the case of a night shift and no working journalist shall ordinarily be required or allowed to work for longer than the number of hours constituting a normal working day.

(4) Subject to such agreement as may be arrived at between a newspaper establishment and working journalists employed in that establishment, the periods of work for working journalist shall be so fixed that no working journalist shall work for more than four hours in the case of a day shift and three hours in the case of a night shift before they had an interval of rest, in the case of the day shift for one hour, and in the case of the night shift for half an hour.

(5) When a working journalist work for more than six hours on any day in the case of a day shift and more than five and a half-hours in the case of a night shift, they shall, in respect of that overtime work, be compensated in the form of hours of rest equal in number to the hours for which they have worked overtime or compensated by wages, which shall be twice the rate of wages.

(6) No working journalist shall be employed on a night shift continuously for more than one week at a time or for more than one week in any period of fourteen days.

(7) In the case of change of shift from night to day shift or vice versa, there shall be an interval of not less than twenty-four consecutive hours between the two shifts and in the case of a change from one day shift to another day shift or from one night shift to another night shift there shall be interval of not less than twelve consecutive hours:

Provided that no such interval may be allowed if such interval either coincides with or falls within, the interval enjoyed by a working journalist under sub-section (2) of section 25.