Shop and Labour | Shops and Establishments Tamil Nadu

Shops and Establishments Tamil Nadu


The Tamil Nadu Shop and Establishment Act is a state law that regulates the proper functioning and conduct of companies within the state. Furthermore, the State Department of Labor, implementing the Shops and Establishment Act handles the registrations for this Act, and they use the certificates provided by it as proof of this registration among Small Scale Industry (SSI) or Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSME) companies in the unorganized sector.

The Tamil Nadu Shop and Establishment Act, 1947, covers shops also including Commercial establishments, restaurants, eating houses, theatres or places of public amusement or entertainment. Furthermore, they refer to any premises that carry out business or service.

Procedure for getting a registration certificate under the Shop and Establishment Act

Under the Shops and Establishments Act, local district labour officers appoint inspectors to grant certificates for the registration of establishments. The owners of shops or commercial establishments are expected to submit their applications in the correct format to the Inspector, along with proper fees, within 30 days from the commencement of their operations.

The forms include the correct details and information as well as the
* Name of the employer and establishment
* Postal address
* Category
* Number of employees working
* The date on which the establishment began to operate

What are the registration fees to be paid?

There is a registration fee to be handled based on the number of employees working at the organization. The breakup is mentioned below:
* 1 to 15 employees: Rs 6500
* 6 to 11 employees: Rs 9000
* 12 to 21 employees: Rs 15,500

Once all the formalities are handled, labour registration certificates are provided. However, these take between five to ten working days.

What are some challenges the Tamil Nadu Shop and Establishment Act is working on tackling?

The primary purpose of the Act was to look after the working and job conditions like working hours, holidays, leave, opening and closing hours, employee rest periods, and payment of salaries in different enterprises. Additionally, some challenges they tackle are

Child labour

Children, implying any individual under the age of 14 years, cannot work at any establishment. Furthermore, individuals between the ages of 14 to 17 are not granted permission to work before 6 am or after 7 pm. They cannot work more than 7 hours a day, or 42 hours a week.

Opening and Closing of Shops and Commercial Establishments

According to this section, employees cannot work for more than eight hours a day or 48 hours a week. Furthermore, all employees mandatorily receive a day off every week.

Health and safety

It is compulsory in all shops and business foundations to look after the well being of their employees, entailing:
* Tidiness
* Ventilation
* Lighting
* Insurances against flame

Occasions and Holidays

Employees are entitled to occasions or leave, where they receive salaries, for a total of 12 days a year, after working at an establishment for a year.