Understanding Leave Entitlements and Facilities for Contractual Workers at Our University

Our University at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, employs more than 3000 unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled contractual workers through a contractor. I would like to inquire about the types of leaves these contractual workers are entitled to and the facilities that should be provided to them.

Thank you,

Pankaj Agrawal

Apart from leave, the contractor needs to also provide washroom/toilet facilities and canteen facilities. Please refer to the Contract Labour Regulation and Abolition Act for details of all compliance requirements. If the contractor fails to fulfill these obligations, as the principal employer, you are responsible for providing them.

Additionally, you must ensure that ESI and PF deductions are made and deposited with the authorities. It is crucial to guarantee that the workers receive minimum wages as specified by the local government. Moreover, overtime wages must be paid at twice the normal rate for any work exceeding 9 hours a day or 48 hours a week.

A representative nominated by the employer must be present during wage payments and certify on the contractor's Muster Rolls that the wages have been accurately disbursed in their presence. While not mandatory under the Contract Labour Act, it is a good practice to follow.

Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

There are different registers for all the above payments. Please note that failure to comply with the above rules and regulations will only make the Principal Employer, in this case, your university, solely responsible and not the contractor. Hence, it is absolutely essential to ensure the PF and ESI contributions for all the workmen presently working for you are remitted every month, and the payment challan copies are submitted to you. It is normally recommended that unless the challans for the previous month's PF and ESI contributions (both the employee and the employer) payment are provided, further payment of the contractor's bill will be withheld.