The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996

(1) This Act may be called the Buildingand Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. (2) It extends to the whole of India. (3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 1st day of March, 1996. (4) It applies to every establishment which employs, or had employed on any day of the precedingtwelve months, ten or more building workers in any building or other construction work. Explanation.--For the purposes of this sub-section, the building workers employed in different relaysin a day either by the employer or the contractor shall be taken into account in computing the number ofbuilding workers employed in the establishment.

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "appropriate Government" means,-- (i) in relation to an establishment (which employs building workers either directly or througha contractor) in respect of which the appropriate Government under the Industrial Disputes Act,1947 (14 of 1947), is the Central Government, the Central Government; (ii) in relation to any such establishment, being a public sector undertaking, as the CentralGovernment may by notification specify which employs building workers either directly orthrough a contractor, the Central Government; Explanation.--For the purposes of sub-clause (ii), "public sector undertaking" means anycorporation established by or under any Central, State or Provincial Act or a Governmentcompany as defined in section 617 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) which is owned,controlled or managed by the Central Government; (iii) in relation to any other establishment which employs building workers either directly orthrough a contractor, the Government of the State in which that other establishment is situate; (b) "beneficiary" means a building worker registered under section 12; (c) "Board" means a Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board constituted undersub-section (1) of section 18; (d) "building or other construction work" means the construction, alteration, repairs, maintenanceor demolition, of or, in relation to, buildings, streets, roads, railways, tramways, airfields, irrigation,drainage, embankment and navigation works, flood control works (including storm water drainageworks), generation, transmission and distribution of power, water works (including channels fordistribution of water), oil and gas installations, electric lines, wireless, radio, television, telephone,telegraph and overseas communications, dams, canals, reservoirs, watercourses, tunnels, bridges,viaducts, aqueducts, pipelines, towers, cooling towers, transmission towers and such other work asmay be specified in this behalf by the appropriate Government, by notification but does not include any building or other construction work to which the provisions of the Factories Act, 1948(63 of 1948), or the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952), apply; (e) "building worker" means a person who is employed to do any skilled, semi-skilled orunskilled, manual, supervisory, technical or clerical work for hire or reward, whether the terms ofemployment be expressed or implied, in connection with any building or other construction work butdoes not include any such person-- (i) who is employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity; or (ii) who, being employed in a supervisory capacity, draws wages exceeding one thousand sixhundred rupees per mensem or exercises, either by the nature of the duties attached to the officeor by reason of the powers vested in him, functions mainly of a managerial nature; (f) "Chief Inspector" means the Chief Inspector of Inspection of Building and Constructionappointed under sub-section (2) of section 42; (g) "contractor" means a person who undertakes to produce a given result for any establishment,other than a mere supply of goods or articles of manufacture, by the employment of building workersor who supplies building workers for any work of the establishment; and includes a sub-contractor; (h) "Director-General" means the Director-General of Inspection appointed under sub-section (1)of section 42; (i) "employer", in relation to an establishment, means the owner thereof, and includes,-- (i) in relation to a building or other construction work carried on by or under the authority ofany department of the Government, directly without any contractor, the authority specified in thisbehalf, or where no authority is specified, the head of the department; (ii) in relation to a building or other construction work carried on by or on behalf of a localauthority or other establishment, directly without any contractor, the chief executive officer ofthat authority or establishment; (iii) in relation to a building or other construction work carried on by or through a contractor,or by the employment of building workers supplied by a contractor, the contractor; (j) "establishment" means any establishment belonging to, or under the control of, Government,any body corporate or firm, an individual or association or other body of individuals which or whoemploys building workers in any building or other construction work; and includes an establishmentbelonging to a contractor, but does not include an individual who employs such workers in anybuilding or construction work in relation to his own residence the total cost of such construction notbeing more than rupees ten lakhs; (k) "Fund" means the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Fund of a Boardconstituted under sub-section (1) of section 24; (l) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette; (m) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act by the Central Government or, asthe case may be, the State Government; (n) "wages" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (vi) of section 2 of thePayment of Wages Act, 1936 (4 of 1936). (2) Any reference in this Act to any law which is not in force in any area shall, in relation to that area,be construed as a reference to the corresponding law, if any, in force in that area.

(1) The Central Government shall, as soon as may be, constitutea Committee to be called the Central Building and Other Construction Workers' Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Central Advisory Committee) to advise the Central Government on suchmatters arising out of the administration of this Act as may be referred to it. (2) The Central Advisory Committee shall consist of-- (a) a Chairperson to be appointed by the Central Government; (b) three Members of Parliament of whom two shall be elected by the House of the People andone by the Council of States--members; (c) the Director-General--member, ex officio; (d) such number of other members, not exceeding thirteen but not less than nine, as the CentralGovernment may nominate to represent the employers, building workers, associations of architects,engineers, accident insurance institutions and any other interests which, in the opinion of the CentralGovernment, ought to be represented on the Central Advisory Committee. (3) The number of persons to be appointed as members from each of the categories specified inclause (d) of sub-section (2), the term of office and other conditions of service of, the procedure to befollowed in the discharge of their functions by, and the manner of filling vacancies among, the membersof the Central Advisory Committee shall be such as may be prescribed: Provided that the members nominated to represent the building workers shall not be less than thenumber of members nominated to represent the employers. (4) It is hereby declared that the office of member of the Central Advisory Committee shall notdisqualify its holder for being chosen as, or for being, a Member of either House of Parliament.

(1) The State Government shall constitute a committee to be calledthe State Building and Other Construction Workers' Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as theState Advisory Committee) to advise the State Government on such matters arising out of theadministration of this Act as may be referred to it. (2) The State Advisory Committee shall consist of-- (a) a Chairperson to be appointed by the State Government; (b) two members of the State Legislature to be elected from the State Legislature--members; (c) a member to be nominated by the Central Government; (d) the Chief Inspector--member, ex officio; (e) such number of other members, not exceeding eleven, but not less than seven, as the StateGovernment may nominate to represent the employers, building workers, associations of architects,engineers, accident insurance institutions and any other interests which, in the opinion of the StateGovernment, ought to be represented on the State Advisory Committee. (3) The number of persons to be appointed as members from each of the categories specified inclause (e) of sub-section (2), the term of office and other conditions of service of, the procedure to befollowed in the discharge of their functions by, and the manner of filling vacancies among, the membersof State Advisory Committee shall be such as may be prescribed: Provided that the number of members nominated to represent the building workers shall not be lessthan the number of members nominated to represent the employers. STATE AMENDMENT Maharashtra Amendment of section 4 of 27 of 1996.--In section 4 of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 (27 of 1996), in its application to the State of Maharashtra, in sub-section (2), for clause (b), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:-- "(b) two members of the State Legislature, of whom one shall be nominated by the Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly from amongst the members of the State Legislative Assembly and one by the Chairman of the State Legislative Council form amongst the members of the State Legislative Council.. members;”. [Vide Maharashtra Act 4 of 2016, s. 5].

(1) The appropriate Government may constitute one or more expertcommittees consisting of persons specially qualified in building or other construction work for advisingthat Government for making rules under this Act. (2) The members of the expert committee shall be paid such fees and allowances for attending themeetings of the committee as may be prescribed: Provided that no fee or allowances shall be payable to a member who is an officer of Government orof any body corporate established by or under any law for the time being in force.