The Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India (FMRAI) in consultation with medical practitioners and chemists have worked out a standard working schedule of eight hours a day for pharmaceutical sales promotion employees of pharmaceutical companies.

The newly structured working time of eight hours a day comprises of six hours of field work, one hour lunch break and one hour for associated clerical and preparatory work. As per this schedule, any work beyond the normal working hours should be on specific occasions and the employer should sanction overtime payment for such extra time.

The timing of six hours field work would vary from place to place as per the convenience of the medical practioners, chemists and the sales promotion employees, say FMRAI sources. The Association has started discussion with the regional and national organisations of medical practitioners including Indian Medical Association (IMA) and bodies of chemists and druggists including All India Organisation for Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) in various parts of the country.

The Association expects to complete implementation of new working hours in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in January 2008. Andhra Pradesh has completed implementation of the new time structure in major towns and the FMRAI state branch has submitted the schedule of town-wise working time to the state government requesting official notification on the schedule for legitimacy.

Meanwhile, the state bodies of FMRAI in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka are implementing the standards in phased manner to complete the process by January 2008. "We are working in a phased manner in which the decision has been implemented in Vellore, Erode and Salem from first of November, another seven towns including kadalore, Trichi, Dharmapuri and Kanchipuram from December and in a total 25 major towns across the state from first of January as the third phase," said Ramesh Sundar, secretary, Tamil Nadu Medical and Sales Representatives Association (TNMSRA).

The state branches of FMRAI in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and the eastern states are on the process of campaigning, and are expected to follow the southern states in implementation.

In a letter to explain the development to Ranga Iyer, managing director of Wyeth Ltd and the president of Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers in India (OPPI), FMRAI expressed that is ready to discuss the issue with the national industry bodies at bipartite level, to bring commonality in the matter.

"Legal aspects of working hours related matters are within the jurisdiction of the respective state governments, being the appropriate authority for implementation of law. However, they (state units of FMRAI) are open for discussion with the pharmaceutical industry at tripartite level in respective states. Since it is a common industry matter, it will remain outside the purview of company-wise discussion. Company-wise working time related dispute can be settled within the provisions of law," explained D P Dubey, general secretary, FMRAI in the letter.