Explained: How many working hours, holidays are entitled to corporate employees

The government has framed a law that specifies the working hours for employees.

In 2018, activist Vijay Gopal filed an RTI seeking to know the working hours for an employee in any company.

Under the provision of the Telangana Shops and Establishment Act, 1988, the Department of Labour provided detailed information about the working hours, holidays and other service rules.

Daily and Weekly Hours of Work

An employee in any establishment is required to work not more than 8 hours in any day and 48 hours in a week. If any employee is working more than 48 hours in a week, he will be paid for overtime.

If any employee is working more than the eight hours, will be paid for his overtime and in a week he can only work six hours of overtime a week.

An employee can work overtime only six days in a year and it should not exceed more than 24 hours in a year.

The period of work of an employee in an establishment shall be so arranged that, along with his interval for rest, they shall not spread over for more than twelve hours on any day

Interval for rest during work

No employee in any establishment is required and allowed to work for more than five hours in any day unless she/he has had an interval for rest of at least one hour.

Holidays

Every employee in any establishment shall be allowed in a holiday every week.

An employee's work schedule includes the days that an employee is working in a company. The government has formulated a law under which an employee work timing and days are mentioned.

It shall not be lawful for the employer to call an employee at or for the employee to go to, his establishment or any other place for any work in connection with the business of his establishment on any day or part of a day on which a holiday has been allowed in accordance with this section.

Maternity Benefit

Every woman who has been for a period of not less than six months preceding the date of her delivery in continuous employment of the same employer whether in the same or different shops or commercial establishments shall be entitled to receive from her employer for the period of

(a) six weeks immediately preceding the day of delivery and

(b) six weeks following the day of delivery; such maternity benefit and in such manner as may be prescribed

Leave and holidays with wages

Every employee who has served for a period of 240 days or more during a continuous period of twelve months in any establishment shall be entitled during the subsequent period of twelve months, to leave with wages for the period of fifteen days provided that such leave with wages may be accumulated up to a maximum period of sixty days.

Every employee in an establishment shall also be entitled to nine holidays in a year with wages on the days to be specified by notification from time to time, by the Government which shall include the 26th January (Republic Day), 1st May, (May Day), 15th August (Independence Day) 2nd October (Gandhi Jayanthi) and on every such holiday, all the establishments, either with or without employees, shall remain closed.

Compulsory enrolment of employees to Insurance cum savings scheme

Every employee who has served in an establishment for a period of not less than one year shall subscribe to the insurance scheme or Insurance cum savings scheme as may be notified by the government to be applicable to the establishment in which the employee is working, at the rates, stipulated by the government in the notification either in a lump sum every year or in monthly instalments, as may be prescribed by the government in the notification.

Conditions for terminating the services of an employee

No employer shall, without a reasonable cause terminate the service of an employee who has been in his employment continuously for a period of not less than six months without giving such employee at least one month notice in writing or wages in lieu thereof and in respect of an employee who has been in his employment continuously for a period of not less than one year, a service compensation amounting to fifteen days average wages for each year of continuous employment.

Complaint regarding violation of the law can be sent to, col.labour.telangana@gmail.com