Factories Act 1948

(1) The provisions of this Chapter shall not operate to prejudice of any right to which a worker may be entitled under any other law or under the terms of any award, agreement including settlement or contract of service: Provided that if such award, agreement (including settlement) or contract of service provides for a longer annual leave with wages than provided in this Chapter, the quantum of leave, which the worker shall be entitled to, shall be in accordance with such award, agreement or contract of service, but in relation to matters not provided for in such award, agreement or contract of service or matters which are provided for less favorable therein, the provisions of sections 79 to 82, so far as may be, shall apply. (2) The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to workers in any factory of any railway administered by the Government, who are governed by leave rules approved by the Central Government

(1) Every worker who has worked for a period of 240 days or more in a
factory during a calendar year shall be allowed during the subsequent calendar year, leave with wages for a number of days calculated at the rate of (i) if an adult, one day for every twenty days of work performed by him during the previous calendar year; (ii) if a child, one day for every fifteen days of work performed by him during the previous calendar year. Explanation 1. - For the purposes of this sub-section(a) any days of lay-off, by agreement or contract or as permissible under the standing orders; (b) in the case of a female worker, maternity leave for any number of days not exceeding twelve weeks; and (c) the leave earned in the year prior to that in which the leave is enjoyed; shall be deemed to be days on which the worker has worked in a factory for the purpose of computation of the period of 240 days or more, but he shall not earn leave for these days. Explanation 2. - The leave admissible under this sub-section shall be exclusive of all holidays whether occurring during or at either end of the period of leave.

(2) A worker whose service commences otherwise than on the first day of January shall be entitled to leave with wages at the rate laid down in clause (t) or, as the case may be, clause (ii) of sub-section (1) if he has worked for two-thirds of the total number of days in the remainder of the calendar year. (3) If a worker is discharged or dismissed from service or quits his employment or is superannuated or dies while in service, during the course of the calendar year, he or his heir or nominee, as the case may be, shall be entitled to wages in lieu of the quantum of leave to which he was entitled immediately before his discharge, dismissal, quitting of employment, superannuation or death, calculated at the rates specified in sub-section (1), even if he had not worked for the entire period specified in sub-section(1) or sub-section (2) making him eligible to avail of such leave, and such payment shall be made

(i) where the worker is discharged or dismissed or quits employments before the expiry of the second working day from the date of such discharge, dismissal or quitting; and (ii) where the worker is superannuated or dies while in service, before the expiry of two months from the date of such superannuation or death.

(4) In calculating leave under this section, fraction of leave of half a day or more shall be treated as one full day's leave and fraction of less than half a day shall be omitted. (5) If a worker does not in any one calendar year takes the whole of the leave allowed to him under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), as the case may be, any leave not taken by him shall be added to the leave to be allowed to him in the succeeding calendar year: Provided that the total number of days of leave that may be carried forward to a succeeding year shall not exceed thirty in the case of an adult or forty in the case of a child: Provided further that a worker, who has applied for leave with wages but has not been given such leave in accordance with any scheme laid down in sub-sections (8) and (9) or in contravention of sub-section (10) shall be entitled to carry forward the leave refused without any limit.

(6) A worker may at any time apply in writing to the manager of a factory not less than fifteen days before the date on which he wishes his leave to begin, to take all the leave or any portion thereof allowable to him during the calendar year: Provided that the application shall be made not less than thirty days before the date on which the worker wishes his leave to begin, if he is employed in a public utility service as defined in clause (n) of section 2 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (XIV of 1947): Provided further that the number of times in which leave may be taken during any year shall not exceed three.
(7) If a worker wants to avail himself of the leave with wages due to him to cover a period of illness, he shall be granted such leave even if the application for leave is not made within the time specified in sub-section (6); and in such a case wages as admissible under section 81 shall be paid not later than fifteen days, or in the case of a public utility service not later than thirty days from the date of the application for leave.

(8) For the purpose of ensuring the continuity of work, the occupier or

manager of the factory, in agreement with the Works Committee for the factory constituted under section 3 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (XIV of 1947), or a similar Committee constituted under any other Act or if there is no such Works Committee or a similar Committee in the factory, in agreement with the representatives of the workers therein chosen in the prescribed manner, may lodge with the Chief Inspector a scheme in writing whereby the grant of the leave allowable under this section may be regulated.

(9) A scheme lodged under sub-section (8) shall be displayed at some conspicuous and convenient place in the factory and shall be in force for a period of twelve months from the date on which it comes into force, and may thereafter be renewed with or without modification for a further period of twelve months at a time, by the manager in agreement with the Works Committee or a similar Committee, or as the case may be, in agreement with the representatives of the workers as specified in sub-section (8), and a notice of renewal shall be sent to the Chief Inspector before it is renewed.

(10) An application for leave which does not contravene the provisions of sub-section (6) shall not be refused, unless refusal is in accordance with the scheme for the time being in operation under sub-sections (8) and (9).

(11) If the employment of a worker who is entitled to leave under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), as the case may be, is terminated by the occupier before he has taken the entire leave to which he is entitled, or if having applied for and having not been granted such leave, the worker quits his employment before he has taken the leave, the occupier of the factory shall pay him the amount payable under section 80 in respect of the leave not taken, and such payment shall be made, where the employment of the worker is terminated by the occupier, before the expiry of the second working day after such termination, and where a worker who quits his employment, on or before the next pay day.
(12) The un-availed leave of a worker shall not be taken into consideration in computing the period of any notice required to be given before discharge or dismissal.

(1) For the leave allowed to him under section 78 or section 79, as the case may be, a worker shall be entitled to wages at a rate equal to the daily average of his total full time earnings for the day on which he actually worked during the months immediately preceding his leave, exclusive of any overtime and bonus but inclusive of dearness allowance and the cash equivalent of advantage accruing through the concessional sale to the worker of food grains and other articles: Provided that in the case of a worker who has not worked on any day during the calendar month immediately preceding his leave, he shall be paid at a rate equal to the daily average of his total full time earnings for the days on which he actually worked during the last calendar month preceding his leave, in which he actually worked, exclusive of any overtime and bonus but inclusive of dearness allowance and the cash equivalent of the advantage accruing through the concessional sale to the workers of food grains and other articles.]

(2)The cash equivalent of the advantage accruing through the concessional sale to the worker of food grains and other articles shall be computed as often as may be prescribed, on the basis of the maximum quantity of food grains and other articles admissible to a standard family. Explanation 1. - "Standard family" means a family consisting of a worker, his or her spouse and two children below the age of fourteen years requiring in all three adult consumption units. Explanation 2. - "Adult consumption unit" means the consumption unit of a male above the age of fourteen years; and the consumption unit of a female above the age of fourteen years, and that of a child below the age of fourteen years shall be calculated at the rates of 8 and 6 respectively of one adult consumption unit. (3) The State Government may make rules prescribing (a) the manner in which the cash equivalent of the advantage accruing through the concessional sale to a worker of food grains and other articles shall be computed; and (b) the registers that shall be maintained in a factory for the purpose of securing compliance with the provisions of this section.

Section 81. Payment in advance in certain cases. A worker who has been allowed leave for not less than four days, in the case of an adult, and five days, in the case of a child, shall, before his leave begins, be paid the wages due for the periods of the leave allowed. Section 82. Mode of recovery of unpaid wages.Any sum required to be paid by an employer, under this Chapter but not paid by him, shall be recoverable as delayed wages under the provisions of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 (IV of 1936).

Section 83. Power to make rules.The State Government may make rules directing managers of factories to keep registers containing such particulars as may be prescribed and requiring the registers to be made available for examination by Inspectors.
Section 84. Power to exempt factories.Where the State Government is satisfied that the leave rules applicable to workers in a factory provide benefits which in its opinion, are not less favourable than those for which this Chapter makes provisions, it may by written order, exempt the factory from all or any of the provisions of this Chapter subject to such conditions as may be specified in the order.

Explanation. - For the purposes of this section, in deciding whether the benefits which are provided for by any leave rules are less favourable than those for which this Chapter makes provision, or not, the totality of the benefits shall be taken into account.