Holidays (Employees) Act, 1939

Employer of worker in mines to which the Coal Mines Act, 1911, applies.

3.—(1) The following provisions shall apply in respect of any worker employed in a mine to which the Coal Mines Act, 1911, applies, that is to say:—

(a) in case such mine is required by that Act to have a manager—

(i) the owner, the agent and the manager of such mine shall each be deemed, for the purposes of this Act, to be the employer of such worker,

(ii) where proceedings for any offence under this Act are taken against the owner (not being the manager) or the agent (not being the manager) of such mine, it shall be a good defence to such proceedings if such owner or agent proves to the satisfaction of the court—

(I) that he was not in the habit of taking and did not in respect of the matters in question take any part in the management of such mine, and

(II) that he made all financial and other provision necessary to enable the manager to carry out his duties, and

(III) that the offence was committed without his knowledge, consent or connivance;

(b) in case such mine is not required by that Act to have a manager, the owner and the agent of such mine shall each be deemed, for the purposes of this Act, to be the employer of such worker.

(2) In this section the words “owner”, “agent” and “manager” when used in relation to a mine have the same respective meanings as in the Coal Mines Act, 1911.