Shops And Establishment Act

The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017 came into effect on December 20, 2017. The 2017 Act replaces the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act of 1948. The reasons behind the changes were mainly – i) to make these legal provisions more contemporary ii) to enhance the ease of doing business and iii) to implement a more or less uniform statute throughout the country.

The act dictates among other things:

• The hours of operations,
• Employee working hours,
• Working hours for women,  protection of women, proper transportation for nighttime duties,
• Over time,
• Holidays and leave, leave encashment, compensatory off
• Welfare and safety of workers
• Rules regarding the termination of employment