Salary Deduction Without Notice During Contract Renewal: What Legal Steps Can We Take?

One-day salary deduction was made in the contract agreement renewal process in the name of a one-day service break without any prior notice. The one-day salary deduction occurred on 1st April 2022. All employees on that date were on duty.

What legal action can be taken?

In my considered view, denying one day's wages on the pretext of the technicality of a one-day break is illegal and unethical. Maybe a contract employee is ill-equipped to take on the employer legally, but this aspect does not redeem the inherent illegality in denying the wages for the day.

I think he is talking about a salary deduction under the guise of a break when they were working, not on a holiday or off day. Even on an off-day, it would be illegal, I think.

Understanding One-Day Breaks in Employment Contracts

This is a mistaken notion that the introduction of a one-day break will help in treating every contract as a fresh one, and the service would only count from the date of such a renewed contract. These are artificial breaks, and such breaks are indeed an unfair labor practice. The test is whether the work was existing during the period of the break in service or not. If it was there, then irrespective of the break, it would be continuous service.