Seamens Provident Fund Act, 1966
No: 4 Dated: Mar, 26 1966
THE SEAMEN’S PROVIDENT FUND ACT, 1966
ACT NO. 4 OF 1966
An Act to provide for the institution of a provident fund for seamen.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventeenth Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
1. Short title and application.—(1) This Act may be called the Seamen’s Provident Fund Act, 1966.
(2) Unless otherwise expressly provided, the provisions of this Act shall apply to every seaman and to the employer of such seaman.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “agreement with the crew” means the agreement referred to in section 100 or, as the case may be, section 114 of the Merchant Shipping Act;
(b) “Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Seamen’s Provident Fund constituted under section 5;
(c) “continuous discharge certificate” means the certificate referred to in section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act;
(d) “contribution” means a contribution payable in respect of a member under the Scheme;
(e) “employer”, in relation to a seaman, means the owner of the ship on which the seaman is employed or engaged, or the agent of such owner or the master of the ship;
(f) “Fund” means the Seamen’s Provident Fund established under the Scheme;
(g) “Government” means the Central Government;
(h) “master” and “ship” have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Merchant Shipping Act;
(i) “member” means a seaman who is in possession of a continuous discharge certificate and who is admitted as a member of the Fund;
(j) “Merchant Shipping Act” means the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958);
(k) “Scheme” means the Seamen’s Provident Fund Scheme framed under sub-section (1) of section 3;
(l) “seaman” means a person employed or engaged as a member of the crew of a ship under the Merchant Shipping Act but does not include 1 [a welfare officer, nurse, musician, pilot or deck barber];
(m) “service” means the period of employment of a seaman under the agreement with the crew and includes any period in respect of which wages are paid or are payable to him;
(n) “wages” means the basic wages for the time being payable to a seaman under the agreement with the crew and includes—
(i) any remuneration to which he is entitled in respect of holidays or any leave period;
(ii) any increase of such wages in accordance with such agreement or any other agreement between the parties;
but does not include the overtime allowance.