Sitting pretty? Indian shop workers win the right to a chair

Chennai: On her feet at work for 10 hours each day, Indian shop assistant S. Lakshmi lumbers home at the end of her shift to nurse her aching legs and swollen ankles. But relief may be in sight.

Tamil Nadu became last month the second Indian state to enshrine the "right to sit" for retail staff in law, ordering store owners to provide seating and let employees take the weight off their feet whenever possible during the working day.

"Until now, the only solace during these long shifts would be the 20-minute lunch break and the few seconds we would lean against the shelves to support our aching feet," said Lakshmi, 40, who has worked in the same clothing store for a decade.