The document summarizes the key aspects of the Kerala Agricultural Workers Act of 1974: 1) It was the first law enacted in India to protect the welfare and rights of agricultural workers, regulating their working conditions and wages. 2) The Act established the Agricultural Workers' Welfare Fund to provide various benefits to registered agricultural workers, financed through annual contributions from workers, landowners, and the government. 3) It set standards for wages, working hours, rest intervals, dispute resolution, and enforcement of provisions to promote security of employment and payment of prescribed wages for agricultural workers in Kerala.

1. V.SIVARAMASETHU,M.A.,M.L.,
KERALA AGRICULTURAL WORKERS ACT, 1974
V. Sivaramasethu

2. IMPORTANCE
 Kerala is the first state in the country enacted a Law
specifically to protect the agricultural workers
 It is an umbrella Legislation providing various benefits
for Agricultural workers
 Later Tripura state enacted ‘Tripura Agricultural
workers Act,1986’ in the model of KAWA

3. OBJECT
 To provide for the welfare of agricultural workers in
the state of Kerala
 To regulate the conditions of their work.

4. WELFARE OF AGRICULTURAL WORKER’S
 The Govt. is authorized to frame an Agricultural
Workers’ Welfare Fund Scheme under this Act for the
welfare of agricultural workers. As per this section, the
Govt. have constituted an Agricultural Worker’s
Welfare Fund Scheme in 1990 (Section-8)

5. CONTRIBUTION BY AGRICULTURAL
WORKERS
 The contribution made by the workers is the major
source of income to the Agricultural Workers’ Welfare
Fund Board constituted under section 11 of the Kerala
Agricultural Workers’ Act, 1974.
 Every registered agricultural worker shall pay
contribution to the Fund at the rate of five rupees
per mensem (As per 2012 amendment bill ten
Rupees per mensem)

6. CONTRIBUTION BY THE LAND OWNER
 Every land owner holding more than half hectare
but less than one hectare in extent of agricultural
land shall pay contribution to the Fund at the rate
of rupees ten per annum for the land held by him
 Those holding one hectare and in excess thereof in
extent of agricultural land shall contribute fifteen
Rupees per annum per hectare of land or part
thereof held by him in the manner prescribed.

7. GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION
 Any loan, grant or advance made by the Government
of India, the State Government, a local body, or any
other institution shall be credited to the Fund.
 The Government shall contribute to the Fund every
year, by way of grant, an amount equal to that of the
contribution paid by registered agricultural workers
in every financial year.

8. WORKING HOURS AND REST HOURS
 The daily hours of work of an adult agricultural worker
is 8 hours and for adolescent or child are 6 hours
 INTERVALS FOR REST :The period of work on an
agricultural worker shall not exceed four hours and he
shall not work more than four hours before he has had
an interval for rest for at least half an hour. (Section-
17)

9. WAGES PAYABLE TO AGRICULTURAL
WORKERS
 An agricultural worker is entitled to receive a
prescribed wage notified under this Act (Section -18)
 Wages for over-time work-Where an agricultural
worker is required by the land owner to work for more
than the number of hours of work fixed, he shall be
entitled in respect of each hour of such over-time work
to wages at the rate of twice his ordinary rate of wages
for one hour.
 Provided that nothing contained in this section shall
apply in respect of harvest or any work connected
therewith.

10. WAGES FOR HARVEST
 The prescribed wages for harvest shall be paid at the
threshing floor itself. Unless the prescribed wages is
paid, no portion of the produce shall be removed from
the threshing floor (Section-19)

11. ENFORCEMENT OF PAYMENT OF
PRESCRIBED WAGES
 If any land owner pays less than the prescribed wages
or refuses to pay the prescribed wages, the agricultural
worker or an official of the union may apply to the
conciliation officer for a direction to pay the prescribed
wages.(Section-20)

12. SECURITY OF EMPLOYMENT
 The landowner shall not employ any agricultural
worker other than an agricultural worker who has
worked in the same land during the previous
agricultural season: Provided further that where there
are permanent workers of the landowner, such workers
shall be given preference over other agricultural
workers(Section – 7)

13. SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES
 Conciliation
 Where an agricultural dispute exists or is
apprehended, the conciliation officer may hold
conciliation proceedings for the purpose of bringing
about settlement of the dispute.
 If a settlement is arrived conciliation officer shall send
a report to the district Labour Officer together with a
memorandum of settlement. If no settlement is
arrived, the conciliation officer shall after the close of
the investigation, send a full report to the District
Collector, through the District Labour Officer.

14.  If the district Collector is satisfied, that he may refer
the dispute to the Agricultural Tribunal for
adjudication.
 If no such reference is made, he shall record and
communicate his reasons to the parties concerned.
(Section-22)
 Under Section-25 the Govt. can voluntarily refer the
dispute to the Agricultural Tribunal for adjudication or
decide the dispute themselves.

15. APPEAL
 An appeal against the order of a conciliation officer
regarding the payment of prescribed wages shall be
preferred within 30 days to the Agricultural Tribunal.
(Section -23)

16. PENALTIES
 The offences under the Act shall be punishable with
imprisonment which may extend to six months or with
fine which may extend to Rs.1,000/- or with
both.(Section-27 to 30)
 For a subsequent conviction, of the same offences shall
be punishable with enhanced penalty with compulsory
imprisonment (Section-31)

17. WHO CAN FILE PROSECUTIONS
 The Government, or an officer authorized by the govt.
 A person with previous sanction in writing of the govt.
(Section-33)
 No court inferior to that of a First Class judicial
Magistrate shall try the offences.

18. REGISTERS
 The executive authority of every local authority shall
prepare a register of agricultural workers residing
within the jurisdiction of that local authority (Section-
35)
 Every land owner shall maintain a register of
employment and wages in Form-8 (Section-36 read
with Rule - 23)

19. RECOVERY OR MONEY DUE FROM LAND
OWNERS
 Any money due to an agricultural worker from a
landowner can be recovered as if it were an arrear of
public revenue due on land. (Section-39)

20. CONCILIATION OFFICER (UNDER SEC-3)
 The Government may by notification in the Gazette,
appoint for any area specified therein any officer of the
Labour Department not below the rank of Assistant
Labour Officer to be a Conciliation Officer for the
purpose of performing the functions entrusted to a
Conciliation Officer by or under this Act.

21. LIMITATION
 Limitation for prosecution is three months from the
alleged commission of the offence come to the knowledge
of the person filing the complaints. (Section-34)

22. THANK YOU