No female shall be employed or permitted to work for more than five hours continuously in, or in connection with, any establishment, without a meal or rest period of at least thirty minutes, which period shall not be considered a part of the hours of labor, and no period of less than thirty minutes shall be deemed to interrupt a continuous period of work.

Employes shall not be required to remain in the workrooms or at their work stations during the meal or rest periods required by this section: Provided, however, That where the strict application of the thirty minutes' meal or rest period imposes an unnecessary hardship on employers and employes or a limitation on the job opportunities of female employes, the Secretary of Labor and Industry, may grant upon written application of an employer an exception from the strict observance of this requirement.