Vidhi Codex

Tamil Nadu Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Work) Act

The Tamil Nadu Manual Workers (Regulation Of Employment And Conditions Of Work) Act, 1982

Labour198239 sections

This legislation regulates the employment, working conditions, safety, and welfare of unorganized manual laborers across various scheduled industries and occupations in Tamil Nadu. It applies to manual workers directly engaged or hired through contractors in specified jobs such as loading, construction, agriculture, and handicrafts, while excluding child labor and workers already receiving central social security benefits. The Act matters because it establishes dedicated welfare boards to register employers and workers, ensure minimum wages, provide healthcare and retirement benefits, regulate working hours, and extend essential labor protections to vulnerable informal sector workers who otherwise lack job security and statutory safeguards.

Start reading →Read full ActSections
  1. 0. Preamble
  2. 1. Short title, extent and commencement.
  3. 2. Definitions.
  4. 3. Scheme for ensuring regular employment of manual workers.
  5. 4. Disputes regarding application of the scheme.
  6. 5. Establishment of Board.
  7. 7. Power of Government to appoint one-man Board.
  8. 8. Powers and duties of the Board.
  9. 9. Accounts and audit.
  10. 10. Disqualification and removal.
  11. 11. Resignation by members.
  12. 12. Filling up of vacancy.
  13. 13. Proceedings presumed to be good and valid.
  14. 14. Recovery of dues to the Board.
  15. 15. Advisory Committee.
  16. 16. Inspectors.
  17. 17. Information required by the Inspector .
  18. 18. Prohibition of employment of children.
  19. 19. Cognizance of offences.
  20. 20. Application of Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923 to manual workers.
  21. 21. Application of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 to manual
  22. 22. Application of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 to manual workers.
  23. 23. Application of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 to manual workers.
  24. 24. Rights and privileges under other laws not affected in certain cases.
  25. 25. Exemptions.
  26. 26. Enquiry into working of the Board
  27. 27. Supersession of the Board.
  28. 28. Contracting out.
  29. 29. Power to amend Schedule.
  30. 30. Penalty.
  31. 31. Protection of action taken in good faith.
  32. 32. Power to make rules
  33. 56. Employment in domestic works
  34. 58. Employment in agriculture
  35. 59. Employment in sculpture (in stone and other materials)
  36. 60. Employment in handicrafts including articles manufactured from clay and paper pulp
  37. 67. Employment in folk arts (playing folk musical instruments) such as melam, nathaswaram, thavil, aadhi melam (parai), thharai, thappattai, urimbi melam, naiyandi melam and band, etc.
  38. 68. Employment in Scavenging Work (Unclean Occupation)
  39. Schedule. Schedule [see section 2 (12) ]

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