Andhra Pradesh Labour Department permits retail enterprises to remain open on all days subject to certain conditions

The Andhra Pradesh Labour Department grants exemption to all retail enterprises to remain open on all days for a period of five years under the following conditions:

1. Employees must be given compensatory, compulsory weekly holiday on a preferential basis without any deduction of monetary or any other benefits. The list of holidays is required to be displayed on the notice boards in advance on a monthly basis;
2. Working hours of the employees must not exceed 8 hours per day or 48 hours in a week. The details of manpower deployment must be mentioned by the employer in the application for registration, which has now been made online under the Integrated Registration Act, 2015;
3. Records of employees working beyond normal working hours must be maintained in the wages registers separately and wages for such overtime must be paid at twice the ordinary rates of wages to all such employees;
4. In the event, an employee works on a national festival or other holiday, the employer must provide such employee with wages at twice the ordinary rate of wage within 30 days from the date of holiday;
5. Retail enterprises must be allowed to operate between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm provided that employees work in two shifts with a minimum of one hour changeover period. Also, the employer is required to furnish the shift-wise employee details specifying the weekly holiday for each of the employees;
6. Retail enterprises must be allowed to offer part-time employment subject to their working hours being expressly specified and the minimum per hour wage rate must be proportionately determined as per the minimum monthly wage prescribed under Minimum Wages Act. However, a retail unit cannot employee more than 25% of the total employee strength as part time employees;
7. Employment of women must be allowed in all shifts subject to employers and the enterprises ensuring a safe and secure working environment and a safe conveyance from workplace to their respective place of residence.
8. All employees are required to be provided with appointment letters, a copy of which is required to be submitted to the Inspector having jurisdiction and their wages must be paid by way of remittance into their bank accounts. Further, EPS and ESI contributions of both the employee and the employer must be remitted every month;
9. Maintenance of wage registers, muster rolls and other records in respect of the employees should be in the electronic form which must be made accessible online to the Inspector under the extant legislation.

[Note: A retail enterprise is a “shop” as defined under the Andhra Pradesh Shops and Establishments Act, 1988 which means ‘any premises where any trade or business is carried an

or where services are rendered to customers and includes a shop run by a cooperative society, an office, a store room, godown, warehouse or work place, whether in the same premises or otherwise, used in connection with such trade or business and such other establishments as the Government may, by notification, declare to be a shop for the purposes of this Act, but does not include a commercial establishment]

 A Copy of the Notification is attached herewith for your ease of reference.

Source: Andhra Pradesh Labour Department