BEEDI AND CIGAR WORKERS (CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT ACT,1966)

CONTAINS

34.      Offences by companies. -

(1)Where anoffence under this Act has been committed by a company, every person who, at the time the offence was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment provided in this Act if he proves that the offences was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

(2)Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to, any neglect on the part of any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Explanation. -For the purposes of this section,-

(a)“Company” means any body corporate and includes a firm and other association of individuals; and

(b)“Director”, in relation to a firm means a partner in the firm.

35.Indemnity.

(1)No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act or any rule or order made thereunder.

(2)No suit or other legal proceedings shall lie against which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Act or any rule, or order made thereunder.

36.Cognizance of offences. -

 

(1)NoCourt shall take cognizance of any offence punishable under this Act except upon a complaint made by or with the previous sanction in writing of the Chief Inspector or an Inspector within three months of the, date on which the alleged commission of the offence came to the knowledge of the Inspector:

Provided that where the offence consists of disobeying a written order made by the competent authority, the Chief Inspector or an Inspector, complaint thereof may be made within six months of the date on which the offence is alleged to have been committed

(2)No Court inferior to that of a Presidency Magistrate or Magistrate of the first class shall try any offence under this Act.

37.Application of the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 and the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. -

 

(1)Theprovisions of the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 (20 of 1946), shall apply to every industrial premises wherein fifty or more persons are employed or were employed on any one day of the preceding twelve months as if such industrial premises were an industrial establishment to which that Act has been applied by a notification under sub-section (3) of Sec.1 thereof, and as if the employee in the said is were a workman within the meaning of the Act.

        (2)Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) the State Government may, after giving not less than two months notice of its intention so to do, by notification in the official Gazette apply or any of the provisions of the Industrial employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 (20 of 1946), to any industrial premises wherein less than fifty employees are employed or were employed of any one day of the preceding twelve months as if such industrial premises were an industrial establishment of which that Act has been applied by a notification under sub-section (3) of sec. 1 thereof, and as if the employees in the said premises were a workers within the meaning of that Act.                    

(3)Notwithstanding anything contained in the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (53 of 1961), the provisions of that.  Act shall apply to every establishment as if such establishment were an establishment to which that Act has been applied by notification under sub-section (1) of Sec. 2 thereof:

Provided that the said Act shall, in its application to a home worker, apply subject the following modifications, namely:

(a) In Sec. 5, in the explanation to sub-section (1), the words “or one rupee a day, whichever is higher” shall be omitted; and

(b)Secs. 8 and 10 shall be omitted.

  38.Certain provisions not to apply to industrial premise. -

(1)ChapterIV and Sec. 85 of the Factories Act, 1948 (62 of 1948), shall apply to an industrial premises and the rest of the provisions in that Act shall not apply to any industrial premises.

(2)Nothing contained in any law relating to the regulation of the conditions of the work of workers in shops or commercial establishments shall apply to any establishment to which this Act applies.

39.Application of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. -

(1)The provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (4 of 1947), shall apply to matters arising in respect of every industrial premises.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), a dispute between an employer and employee relating to-

(a)
The issue by the employer of raw materials to the employees,         

(b)
The rejection by   the employer of beedi, cigar, or both made by an employee.

(c)
The payment of wages for the beedi or cigar or both rejected by the employer;

1
[shall be referred for settlement within such time and by such authority as the State Government may by rules, specify in this behalf and such rules may also provide for the summary manner in which such dispute shall be settled.]

(3)Any person aggrieved by a settlement made by the authority specified under sub-section  (2) may prefer an appeal to such authority and within such time as the State Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, specify in this behalf

(4)The decision of the authority specified under sub-section (3) shall be final. 

1.Subs. by Act 41 of 1993, Sec.9.

40.Effect of laws and agreements inconsistent with this Act. -

(1)Theprovisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any other law for the time being in force or in the terms of any award, agreement, or contract of service whether made before or after the commencement of this Act:

Provided that where under any such award, agreement, contract of service or otherwise an employee is entitled to benefits in respect of any matters which are more favourable to him than those to which he will be entitled to under this Act, the employee shall continue to be entitled to the more favourable benefits in respect of that matter notwithstanding that he receives benefits in respect of other matters under this Act'

(2) Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed as precluding any employee from entering into an agreement with an employer for granting him rights or privileges in respect of any matter, which are more favourable to himthan those to which he would be entitled under this Act.

41.Power of exempt. -The State Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, exempt, subject to such conditions and restrictions as it may impose, any class or industrial premises or class of employers or employees from all or any of the provisions of this Act or of any rules made thereunder:

Provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as empowering the State Government to grant any exemption in respect of any woman employee from any of the provisions of this Act or any rules made thereunder relating to annual leave with wages, maternity benefits, creches, wages, rejection of beedi or cigar and night work.

42.Powers of Central Government to give directions -The CentralGovernment may give direcions to State Government as to the carrying into execution of the provisions of this Act.

43. Act not to apply to self-employed persons in private dwelling houses. -Nothing contained in this Act shall apply to the owner or occupier of a private dwelling-house who carries on any manufacturing process in such private dwelling-house with the assistance of the members of his family living with him in such dwelling-house and dependent on him:

Provided that the owner or occupier thereof is not an employee of an employer to whom this Act applies.

Explanation. -For the purposes of this section, “family” means the spouse and children of the owner or occupier.

44.Power to make rules. -

(1)The State Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

(2)In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:

(a)The terms and conditions subject to which a licence may be, granted or renewed under this Act and the fees to be paid in respect of such licence;

(b)The form of application for a licence under this Act and that documents and plans to be submitted together with such application;

(c)Other matters which are to be taken into consideration by the competent authority for granting or refusing a licence

(d)The time within which, the fees on payment of which and the authority to which, appeals may be preferred against any order granting or refusing to grant a licence;

(e)The submission of a monthly return by an employer to the competent authority specifying the quantity of tobacco released by the Central Excise Department and the number of beedi or cigar or both manufactured by him;

(f)The powers, which may be conferred on the inspectors under this Act;

(g)The standards of cleanliness required to be maintained under this Act;

(h)The standards of lighting, ventilation and temperature required to be maintained under this Act;

(i)The types of urinals and latrines required to be provided under this Act the washing facilities, which are to be provided under this Act;

(k)Canteens

(1)The form and manner of notice regarding the periods of work

(m)The form in which records of work done outside an establishment shall be maintained;

(n)The authority to which and the time within which an appeal may be filed by a dismissed, discharged or retrenched employees;

(o)The manner in which the cash equivalent of the advantage accruing through the concessional sale to an employee of food grains and other articles shall be computed;

(p)The records and registers that shall be maintained in an establishment for the purpose of securing compliance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder;

(q) The maintenance of first-aid boxes or cupboards and the contents thereof and the persons in whose charge such boxes shall be placed.

(r)The manner in which sorting or rejection of beedi or cigar or both and disposal of rejected beedi or cigar or both shall be carried out;

(s) The fixation of maximum limit of the percentage of rejection of beedi or cigar or both manufactured by an employee;

(t)Specifying the place at which wages shall be paid to persons who receive directly or through an agent raw materials for the manufacture of beedi, cigar, or both at home;

(u)Supervision by the Inspectors over distribution of raw materials including beedi and tobacco leaves to the employees;

(v)Precautions to be taken against fire for the safety of workers;

(w)1[the time within which a dispute specified in sub-section (2) of Sec. 39 shall be referred for settlement, the authority by which and the summary manner in which such dispute shall be settled] and the authority to which an appeal shall lie from the settlement made by the first-mentioned authority;

(x)Any matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.

(3)All rules made under this Act shall be published in the official Gazette and shall be subject to the condition of previous publication; and the dates to be specified under Cl. (3) of Sec. 23 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897), shall not be less than three months from the date on which draft of the proposed rules was published.,

(4) Every rule made under this section shall be laid as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of the State Legislature, where it consists of two Houses, or where such Legislature consists of one House, before that House, while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised one session or in two successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session it which it is so laid or the session immediately following, the Legislatures agree in making any modification in the rule or the Legislature agree that rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

1.        Subs. by Act 41 of 1993, Sec. 10.

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