How Can We Legally Offer Compensatory Time Off for Staff Working on National Holidays?

Is there any type of registration we can do for giving compensatory offs on national holidays? Since we have a continuous working requirement due to customer calls even on holidays, we need to find alternatives for giving time off to those who work on particular national holidays. It would be really helpful if someone could provide information on which act applies to hospitals and travel industries.

Thank you.

Dear Deepa,

From your narrative and location, I think yours must be a shop or establishment falling under the Punjab Industrial Establishments (National & Festival Holidays, Casual & Sick Leave) Act, 1965, and the Rules made thereunder, which are applicable to the National Capital Territory of Delhi w.e.f 01-01-1974.

Holiday Entitlements Under the Act

Under this Act, you have to grant 3 national holidays and 4 festival holidays in every calendar year to your employees u/s 3 of the Act. If any employee is required to work on any such holiday, he should be given the option of getting twice the rate of his average daily wage for that day OR average daily wage AND a substituted holiday with wages on any other day within a period of 90 days u/s 5(2) of the Act.

For further details, please go through the entire Act and the Rules.

If the average daily wage is Rs. 1000 and I am required to work on Republic Day for some urgency, my employer will give me two options to choose from: a wage of Rs. 2000 to work on Republic Day or a wage of Rs. 1000 plus a day off on any other day with wage.

Does this apply to security guards as well? Is the employer required to inform any government authority about this?

Regards,
Puran Dangwal