Section 4: Hours of work and rest

4. Hours of work and rest.__(1) No worker shall be employed on a vehicle__ (a) for more than five hours at a time before he has had an interval for rest of at least half an hour nor for more than 1[seven] hours before he has had at least two such intervals ; (b) for more than 1[eight] hours in a day ; and (c) for more than 1[forty-eight] hours in a week. 1[Explanation.__ A worker who is required to wait for not less than 30 minutes to be employed on a vehicle shall be deemed to be employed on a vehicle during the time he is so required to wait.] (2) Every worker shall be entitled to have at least twenty-four hours of consecutive rest in a week. 1Ins. and subs. by Act No. XII of 1975, ss.2-3. (3) The Government may, by rules made under section 10, grant such exemptions from the provisions of sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) as it thinks fit, to meet cases of emergency or of delay by reason of circumstances which could not be foreseen: Provided that__ (a) no worker shall be employed overtime in any year in excess of one hundred and fifty working hours ; and (b) the worker employed overtime shall be paid remuneration at twice the rate of his normal wages calculated by the hour. (4) Where as a result of the making of a rule exempting any worker from the provisions of sub-section (2), a worker is deprived of any of the weekly hours of rest for which provision is made in the sub-section he shall be allowed, as soon as circumstances permit, compensating hours of rest of equal number so lost ; Provided that no worker shall be caused or allowed to work for more than ten consecutive days without a compensating rest for at least twenty-four hours at one time. (5) The Government or, if authorised in this behalf by the Government by rules made under section 10, the competent authority, may require an employer to fix beforehand the hours of work of the workers so as to conform with the provisions of sub-section (1) and may provide for the recording of the hours so fixed. (6) No worker shall work or cause or allow any other worker to work outside the hours fixed or recorded for the work of the said worker in compliance with any rule made under sub-section (5).

Effective date: 1961-01-01

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