I work on a tea plantation in Thane, what are my statutory rights regarding housing and medical facilities?

Detailed Legal Analysis

Plantation workers are protected under the Plantations Labour Act, 1951, and the Maharashtra Rent Control Act 1999 rules for its implementation in your state. The employer must provide and maintain suitable housing for every worker and family residing on the plantation in Thane.

Medical facilities must be provided by the employer as prescribed, and failure to do so is a punishable offence. The Bombay High Court has held that plantation workers are entitled to minimum wage, annual leave with wages, and sickness allowance under the Act.

The employer must also provide a creche where 20 or more women are employed, and educational facilities for children of workers. The state may also frame rules for the welfare of plantation workers, including drinking water and sanitation.