Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act, 1947
No: 36 Dated: Feb, 10 1948
THE TAMIL NADU SHOPS AND ESTABLISHMENTS ACT, 1947
(Tamil Nadu Act No. 36 of 1947)
An Act to provide for the regulation of conditions of work in shops, commercial establishments, restaurants, theatres and other establishments, and for certain other purposes.
Whereas it is expedient to provide for the regulation of conditions of work in shops, commercial establishments and for certain other purposes;
It is hereby enacted as follows:
1. Short title, extent and commencement. - (1) This Act may be called the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act, 1947
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Tamil Nadu.
(3)(a) It shall come into force in the following areas on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint:
(i) the City of Madras,
(ii) all the municipalities constituted under the Madras District Municipalities Act, 1920 (Madras Act V of 1920), and
(iii) all areas within the jurisdiction of panchayats which, under rule 2 of Schedule III to the Madras Village Panchayats Act, 1950 (Madras Act X of 1950), should be deemed to be constituted under that Act, and which immediately before the commencement of that Act ,were classified by the State Government as major panchayats and all areas within the jurisdiction of panchayats constituted or reconstituted under that Act which, for the time being, are classified by the State Government as Class I Panchayats under section 5 (1) (a) of that Act.
(b) The State Government may, by notification, direct that all or any of the provisions of this Act shall come in to force in any other area on such date as may be specified in such notification.
CHAPTER-1
Preliminary
2. Definitions. - In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context-
(1) 'child' means a person who has not completed fourteen years.
(2) 'closed' means not open for the service of any customer or open to any business connected with the establishment.
(3) 'commercial establishment' means an establishment which is not a shop but which carries on the business of advertising, commission, forwarding or commercial agency, or which is a clerical department of a factory or industrial undertaking or which is an insurance company, joint stock company, bank, broker's office or exchange and includes such other establishments as the State Government may by notification declare to be a commercial establishment for the purposes of this Act.
(4) 'day' means the period of twenty-four hours beginning at midnight: Provided that in the case of a person employed, whose hours of work extend beyond midnight, day means the period of twenty-four hours beginning from the time when such employment commences.
(5) 'employer' means a person owning or having charge of, the business of an establishment and includes the manager, agent or other persons acting in the general management or control of an establishment;
(6) 'establishment' means a shop commercial establishment, restaurant, eating-house, residential hotel, theatre or any place of public amusement or entertainment and includes such establishment as the State Government may by notification declare to be an establishment for the purposes of this Act;
(7) 'factory' means any premises which is a factory within the meaning of the Factories Act, 1948.
(8) 'inspector' means an Inspector appointed under section 42;
(9) 'notification' means a notification in the Fort St. George Gazette;
(10) 'opened' means opened for the service of any customer.
(11) 'periods of work' means the time during which a person employed is at the disposal of the employer;
(12) 'person employed' means-
(i) In the case of a shop, a person wholly or principally employed therein in connection with the business of the shop;
(ii) In the case of a factory or an industrial undertaking, a member of the clerical staff employed in such a factory or undertaking;
(iii) In the case of a commercial establishment other than a clerical department of a factory or an industrial undertaking, a person wholly or principally employed in connection with the business of the establishment, and includes a peon;
(iv) In the case of a restaurant or eating house, a person wholly or principally employed in the preparation or the serving food or drink or in attendance on customers or in cleaning utensils used in the premises or as a clerk or cashier;
(v) In the case of a theatre, a person employed as an operator, clerk, door-keeper, usher or in such capacity as may be specified by the State Government by general or special order;
(vi) In the case of an establishment not falling under paragraphs (i) to (v) above, a person wholly or principally employed in connection with the business of the establishment and includes a peon;
(vii) In the case of all establishments, a person wholly or principally employed in cleaning any part of the premises;
but does not include the husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister of an employer who lives with and is dependent on such employer;
(13) 'prescribed' means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(14) 'residential hotel' means any premises in which business is carried on bona fide for the supply of dwelling accommodation and meals on payment of a sum of money to a traveller or any member of the public or class of the public;
(15) 'restaurant' or 'eating house' means any premises in which is carried on wholly or principally the business of the supply of refreshments or meals to the public or a class of the public for consumption on the premises but does not include a restaurant attached to a theatre.
(16) 'shop' means any premises where any trade or business is carried on or where services are rendered to customers and includes offices, store rooms, godowns and warehouses, whether in the same premises or otherwise, used in connection with such business but does not include a restaurant, eating house or commercial establishment;
(17) 'theatre' includes any place intended principally or wholly for the representation of moving pictures or for dramatic performances;
(18) 'wages' means any remuneration, capable of being expressed in terms of money, which would if the terms of the contract of employment, express or implied, were fulfilled, be payable, whether conditionally upon the regular attendance, good work or conduct or other behaviour of the person employed, or otherwise, to a person employed in respect of his employment or of work done in such employment, and includes any bonus or other additional remuneration of the nature aforesaid which would be so payable and any sum payable to such person by reason of the termination of his employment, but does not include-
(a) the value of any house-accommodation, supply of light, water, medical attendance or other amenity or of any service excluded by general or special order of the State Government ;
(b) any contribution paid by the employer to any pension fund or provident fund;
(c) any travelling allowance or the value of any travelling concession;
(d) any sum paid to the person employed to defray special expenses entailed on him by the nature of his employment; or
(e) any gratuity payable on discharge;
(19) 'week' means a period of seven days beginning at midnight on Saturday;
(20) 'young person' means a person who is not a child and has not completed seventeen years.
3. References to time of day. - References to time of day in this Act are references to Indian Standard Time which is five and a half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.