Grant of periodical rest

Section 133 of the Railways Act, 1989 deals with grant of periodical rest. Subject to the provisions of this section, a railway servant (a) whose employment is intensive or continuous shall, for every week commencing on a Sunday, be granted a rest of not less than thirty consecutive hours; The Act came into force on 01 Jul 1990.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a railway servant

(a) whose employment is intensive or continuous shall, for every week commencing on a Sunday, be granted a rest of not less than thirty consecutive hours;

(b) whose employment is essentially intermittent shall, for every week commencing on a Sunday, be granted a rest of not less than twenty-four consecutive hours including a full night.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1),--

(i) any locomotive or traffic running staff shall be granted, each month, a rest of at least four periods of not less than thirty consecutive hours each or at least five periods of not less than twenty-two consecutive hours each, including a full night;

(ii) the Central Government may, by rules, specify the railway servants to whom periods of rest on scales less than those laid down under sub-section (1) may be granted and the periods thereof.

(3) Subject to such rules as may be made in this behalf, if the prescribed authority is of the opinion that such circumstances as are referred to in sub-section (4) of section 132 are present, it may exempt any railway servant from the provisions of sub-section (1) or clause (i) of sub-section (2):

Provided that a railway servant so exempted shall, in such circumstances as may be prescribed, be granted compensatory periods of rest for the periods he has foregone.

Section 133, The Railways Act, 1989 (Act 24 of 1989).