Question

Are the following statements in keeping with democracy as a value? Why?
Employee to the officer: Our working hours must be reduced according to the law.

Answer 1

Hint:
The Factories Act, 1948 (the Factories Act) provides rules for the conditions of workmen working in factories for health, protection, welfare, and operation. It includes provisions for adult working hours, youth employment, leave, overtime, etc.

Complete step by step solution:
Yes, the statement is keeping with democracy as a value.
In India, an adult (a person who has completed 18 years of age) should not work for more than 48 hours a week and not more than 9 hours a day, as per the Factories Act 1948. It should not exceed 10.5 hours under Section 51 of the Act.
Sections 51 and 59 of the Factories Act 1948 states, “No employee is supposed to work for more than 48 hours in a week and 9 hours in a day. Any employee who works for more than this period is eligible for overtime remuneration prescribed as twice the amount of ordinary wages.”
The regulations on overtime also state that workers must be provided with at least one half-hour break between working hours and the whole working day must be calculated in such a way that no working period reaches 5 hours without an interval. The total number of working hours must be 12 and a half hours every day in India, limiting the maximum number of overtime hours to 2 hours a day.
Hence, if an employee is saying, “Our working hours must be reduced according to the law”, he/she is keeping with democratic values. It is an employee’s right to urge for a reduction in the work hours, as per the law.

Note:
Overtime regulations under the Factories Act 1948 also state the penalty in the event that these provisions are violated by an employer. Any employer found to be in violation of these provisions will be liable for up to 2 years in prison and fines of up to Rs. 1 lakh or both. If the employer continues to violate the provisions of the following arrest, on each day of infringement, a fine of Rs. 1000 per day is imposed.