Section 21 — Weekly holidays.

21. Weekly holidays.—(1) Every industrial premises shall remain entirely closed, except for wetting 

of beedi or tobacco leaves, on one day in the week which day shall be specified by the employer in a 

notice exhibited in a conspicuous place in the industrial premises and the day so specified shall not be 

altered by the employer more often than once in three months and except with the previous written 

permission of the Chief Inspector. 

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[Provided that a copy of every such notice shall be sent to the Inspector having jurisdiction over the 

industrial premises within two weeks from the date on which such notice is exhibited in the industrial 

premises.] 

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), an employee employed in the said 

premises for wetting of beedi or tobacco leaves on the day on which it remains closed in pursuance of 

sub-section (1), shall be allowed a substituted holiday on one of the three days immediately before or after 

the said day. 

(3) For a holiday under this section, an employee shall be paid, notwithstanding any contract to the 

contrary, at the rate equal to the daily average of his total full time earnings for the days on which he had 

worked during the week immediately preceding the holiday exclusive of any overtime earnings and bonus 

but inclusive of dearness and other allowances. 

Explanation.—The expression “total full time earnings” shall have the meaning assigned to it in 

section 27.