Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act

Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act: A Guide to Workplace Compliance

 Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act is a legal procedure specially made to regulate the employment conditions of the employees working in Maharashtra. The aim of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act was to help the government of Maharashtra protect the rights of employees of the unorganized sector of this state. The Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act provides legal identity to conduct business operations within the territory of Maharashtra.

It also helps such businesses to get multiple benefits from the various schemes put forth by the government of Maharashtra. The Act covers various business activities like employee wages, working hours, overtime work, break time, benefits, leaves, child labor rules, women’s employment, maternity leave, health, working conditions, opening and closing hours, and more. 

Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act 2017

Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act 2017 was enforced on 7 December 2017, which replaces the previous Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act 1948. The Act was introduced while considering a few significant reforms for employees, such as operating time, overtime, health and safety, employee welfare, holidays and leave, and more. This Act also highlighted the provision that brought women’s working rights in the establishments of the Maharashtra area.

After the introduction of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act 2017, discrimination against women workers ended in Maharashtra establishments, and they could enjoy equal opportunities in matters like recruitment, wages, benefits, promotions, transfers, and more. The Act also proposed introducing facilitators to advise the employers, better compliance for workers, and inspecting the establishments in Maharashtra. This Act provided directions to the owners of establishments in maintaining and following the rules that are beneficial for the employees. 

The Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act 2017 simplified the registration process for Maharashtra businesses to ensure ease of doing business in the area. The Act also made provisions for issuing online registration certificates, which need no renewals from time to time and will be valid for a lifetime.

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Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Rules

The Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Rules are as follows: 

Operating Hours: The Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act permitted certain establishments to stay open 24/7. These establishments include financial institutions, medical centers, restaurants, retail outlets, and more. The Act excludes the Maharashtra Shops and establishments selling alcohol or cigarettes from remaining open 24/7.

Women Protection: The Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act also made provisions that focused on prohibiting the discrimination of working women in different business activities such as wages, leaves, training, opportunities, and more. The Act also provided working hour guidelines for women employees from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. If they have to work beyond these hours because of an emergency, they should have working space and a transport system to commute back to their residence. 

Over Time: The owners of the establishments in Maharashtra have to pay the employees overtime wages if the employees’ working hours exceed nine hours per day or above 48 hours per week. 

Weekly Off: As per the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act, the employees have the right to enjoy a weekly holiday. If the employees are not given a weekly off, then it’s compulsory to give them leave within two months, and also, the employer has to double the wage rate of the workers. 

Casual Leaves & Holidays: As per the Act, the employees are eligible to Casual Leaves & Holidays during a year. The establishment has to provide eight paid festival holidays for national holidays. The establishments and workers can make mutual decisions regarding the rest of the holidays. 

The Welfare of Employees: 

The law has also focused on the welfare of workers and has made adequate arrangements mandatory for the working class in the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments. The owners of the shop or establishment have to ensure health and hygiene, safety, cleanliness, lighting, and ventilation for their workers. The Act has mentioned multiple working safety measures, a few of them are mentioned below: 

• First-aid facilities for the working class of Maharashtra.
• Clean drinking water facilities for all the establishment employees and proper maintenance. 
• Proper washroom facilities for both men and women in the establishment premises. 
• Provision of creche facility for the children of the employees in an establishment with 50 or 50+ employees. 
• Provision of a canteen for establishments with 100 or 100+ employees. 
• Maharashtra Shops and Establishments should use Marathi language in Devanagari script on their Name Board, which must be written at the beginning. 

No Return Filing: The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments has benefitted businesses with no return filling feature. The shops and establishments registered under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act need not worry about their return filing as they are not required to file a return.

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Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act Registration

Get your Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act Registration done with StartupYo. We provide the best registration plan for all Shops and Establishment Registration types. We offer online Gumasta registration for the people of Maharashtra with 24/7 online support. 

With our experts, your registration process will be done within no time once we receive your registration request. Our team will start working on the application form. They will complete the form with your correct details and attach the required documents to the application. Before submitting, our experts check the correctness of the details and then proceed further. Once the authorities approve the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments registration application, we will help you receive your registration certificate within no time. 

Conclusion

The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act helps the government of Maharashtra to regulate the multiple conditions related to working conditions, working services, and employment. This law applies to all establishments with ten or 10+ workers in Maharashtra. Within 30 days of beginning the business, the owner needs to apply for its registration process. 

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