Meghalaya Shops and Establishments Act

The Meghalaya Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, and Rules, are applicable to all the shops and commercial establishments in the whole of the Meghalaya State.

The Act is enacted for the purpose of protecting the rights of employees. The Act provides regulations of the payment of wages, terms of services, work hours, rest intervals, overtime work, opening and closing hours, closed days, holidays, leaves, maternity leave and benefits, work conditions, rules for employment of children, records maintenance, etc.

Key Definitions

Commercial Establishment means an establishment in which there is conducted the business of advertising commission forwarding or commercial agency a department of a factory in which persons are employed in a cliental capacity in any room or place or no manufacturing process is being carried on a clerical department of any industrial or commercial undertaking including public transport any insurance company, joint stock company, brokers office or exchange or such other establishment or class thereof as the State Government may, by notification, declared to be a commercial establishment for the purposes of all or any of the provisions of this Act, but does not include a shop or an establishment for public entertainment or amusement.

Establishment means a shop or a commercial establishment or an establishment for public establishment or amusement.

Shop means any premises where goods are sold either by retail or wholesale or where services are rendered to customers and includes an office, a storeroom godown or warehouse whether in the same premises or otherwise used in connection with such trade or business, workshops including automobile garages accumants establishment, drawing and designing firms, solicitor’s establishment but does not include a commercial establishment or a shop attached to a Factory where the persons employee in the shop are allowed the benefit provided for workers under the Factories Act, 1948 (General Act No. 63 of 1948) or an establishment for public entertainment or amusement.

Registration

1. Every establishment shall be registered under this Act. The registration shall be valid for calendar year and thereafter shall be renewed for every calendar year.
2. The application for registration or for renewal of registration shall be made to the Labour Commissioner or to such other officer as the Labour Commissioner may authorise in this behalf in such forms and within such date and containing such particulars as may be prescribed.
3. The fees payable for registration or for renewal of registration shall be such as may be prescribed by the State Government.
4. Where an establishment is registered under this Act or when the registration of an establishment is renews there shall be issued to the employer a certificate of registration or a renewal certificate of registration as the case may be containing such particulars as may be prescribed.
5. The certificate of registration or the renewal certificate, as the case may be, shall be kept prominently displayed at some conspicuous place of the establishment.

Compliances

As per Meghalaya Shops and Establishment Rules.

Useful Links / References

• Meghalaya Shops and Establishments Act
• Meghalaya Shops and Establishments Rules
• Meghalaya Labour Commissionerate* Notification dated 28 Feb 2022 to keep shops and establishments open 365 days till 31 Dec 2022 subject to certain conditions.
• Notification dated 13 May 2020 increasing work hours
• Notification dated 12 Sep 2019 suspending operation of section 4,5 & 6