Andhra Pradesh Shops and Establishments Act 1988 is a mandatory activity for all shops, factories and establishments within the state. This Act was issued to secure the position of employees in their workplaces.

In addition, this Act also provides necessary regulations regarding leaves, holidays, annual wages, rules to employ women and young individuals, and compensation in the shops and commercial establishments of Andhra Pradesh.

The Act provides a licence which allows the companies to operate their workings in regional jurisdiction under the Labour department.

Every shop, establishment and commercial establishment, including shops, go-downs, offices, storerooms, hotels, theatres, and lodging houses of the state, has to register under the Andhra Pradesh Shops and Establishments Act. Business owners should begin registration within 30 days of starting the business.

The Andhra Pradesh government has exempted all shops and establishments registered under Section 3 of this Act. Shops and establishments under this section are, however, also not allowed to renew the licence. In addition,

• Employees of management are exempted from any effect of this law.
• Central or State government establishments do not need to register under this Act.
• Establishments owned by local authorities, railway or cantonment authorities and the Reserve bank of India do not need to register under this Act.
• Oil and minefields are also exempted from this law.
• Establishments of local bazaars where temporary fairs or festivals happen are not subject to this Act.

Every shop or establishment owner should submit Form A to register. The steps to register under this Act are as follows -

Step 1: Download Form A for registration, and take a print out of this form.

Step 2: Fill up this form with all your details. Gather the required documents.

Step 3: Bring the filled application form with the documents and application fees to concerned authorities. A registration certificate will be issued under Form C.

Step 4: Once you get the certificate, download it for future use.

In addition, business owners do not need to renew their certificates as the labour department of the Andhra Pradesh government has introduced the auto-renewal process. Here, the applicants can easily get the renewed certificate by paying yearly fees.

Here are the necessary documents that you need to submit while registering under the Andhra Pradesh Shops and Establishments Act -

• PAN card details of the shop or establishment owners
• In the case of rented accommodation, the copy of the rental deed
• Authorisation letter
• Aadhaar card details of the business owners
• Name and details of the employer and the employees

Apart from these, business owners need to specify the type of establishments that means whether it is a shop, residential hotel, public entertainment hall or anything else. The name of establishments, along with their postal address, is also necessary.

1. Employment of Women, Children and Young Individuals

No children are allowed to work in any shop or establishment as per the order of this Act. Further, young individuals are not allowed to work before 6 am and after 7 pm in any shop or establishment. In addition, women are also not allowed to work before 6 am and after 8:30 pm.

2. Working Hours

The working hours for employees in any shop or commercial establishment in Andhra Pradesh are 9 hours a day and 48 hours a week. In the case of overtime, employees should be paid extra wages. However, overtime should not go beyond 6 hours in a week. Further, no employee should work more than 5 hours without an interval of 1 hour.

3. Exemption of Work

Under section 25, no woman is required to work during her pregnancy and can get maternity leave. In addition, employers cannot ask young individuals and women to work at night. For young individuals working hours should not exceed more than 7 hours in a day and 42 hours in a week.

4. Regulations and Employment

• Employers should fix a particular time to pay the wages to the employees.
• Employees should get their wages before the fifth day after the ending of the fixed-wage period.
• Employers cannot impose any fine on any employee without allowing him to show a cause in his defence.
• Wages should be paid with current coins and cash and should be paid during the weekdays.
• Employers should enrol every employee who has been working for more than six months in an establishment under an insurance scheme or insurance-cum-savings-scheme.
• An employer cannot terminate any employee during the period when he has made a complaint about not getting any benefit from that establishment.

5. Weekly Holidays

Every shop or establishment in Andhra Pradesh, with or without employees, should be mandatorily closed every Sunday. This day should be a holiday for every employee.

6. Annual Leave with Wages

Every employee who has already served for 240 days in an establishment can get a leave of a total of 15 days with wages. This leave further can be extended up to 60 days in a year.

In addition, every employee is allowed to have 12 sick leaves and 12 casual leaves in a year after serving for 12 months in any shop or establishment.

7. Right of Employees

• Every employee should get a mandatory weekly holiday.
• Employees should get 9 public holidays in a year with full wages.
• Employers cannot impose any fine on employees under the age of 15 years.
• Employers can not ask any employee to go anywhere for any service of the establishment on any holiday.
• Women are eligible for six days preceding the day of delivery and 6 months following the day of delivery.

8. Management of Records

• Employers shall maintain records and registers and display notices in the shop or establishment premises.
• The employers are liable to produce records and registers in front of the inspector whenever they are asked to do so.
• Employers should file returns related to business as per the Act and government order.
• The employers should record and submit the details of every recruitment to the respective regional officer.

The benefits of getting a shop licence in Andhra Pradesh are as follows,

• It helps to determine the wages and leaves.
• The law secures the right of employees.
• Female employees can get proper maternity leave and workplace benefits.
• It helps business owners to maintain their records.
• It further helps to determine the weekly holidays and rules regarding overtime.

Therefore consider this guide on Andhra Pradesh Shops and Establishments Act for your future reference. By following this guide, you can get a clear idea about all the related regulations and easily follow the registration process.