Entitlement of Bonus - company does not provide bonus to the employees who have left the organisation

Respected all,

I, Joginder Kumar, joined a Pvt. Ltd. company on 12/10/2017 in Rohtak city, Haryana. I worked here until 30/11/18. The company provided me a bonus of approximately Rs. 7000/- for the period 12/10/2017 to 31/03/2018. Later, I resigned from the company on 30/11/2018. Recently, I asked the management for the remaining bonus for the period from 01/04/2018 to 30/11/2018. However, they refused to do so, stating that the company does not provide bonuses to employees who have left the organization at the time of bonus payment.

I am in a dilemma. Please guide me on whether I am entitled to the bonus or not. If yes, what steps should I take?

Thank you.

Dear Joginder,

If an employee has worked for not less than 30 working days in an Accounting Year, he is entitled to statutory bonus under Section 8 of the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, whether he remains in the service of the concerned establishment or not at the time of bonus payment for the accounting year. Therefore, the contention of your ex-employer is totally incorrect.

You can make a complaint under Section 21 of the Act to the Assistant Commissioner of Labor for the area for recovery.