PART III

PAYMENT OF WAGES

18. Wage period.

(1) A contract of service shall specify a wage period not exceeding one month.

(2) If in any contract of service no wage period is specified the wage period shall for the purposes of the contract be deemed to be one month.

19. Time of payment of wages.

Every employer shall pay to each of his employees not later than the seventh day after the day of any wage period the wages, less lawful deductions, earned by such employee during such wage period.

Provided that if the Director-General is satisfied that payment within such time is not reasonably practicable, he may, on the application of the employer, extend the time of payment by such number of days as he thinks fit.

20. Payment on normal termination of contract.

The wages, less lawful deductions, earned by but not yet paid to an employee whose contract of service terminates in accordance with section 11(1) or of section 12 shall be paid to such employee not later than the day on which such contract of service so terminates.

21. Payment on termination of contract in special circumstances and on breach of contract.

(1) Where an employer terminates the contract of service of an employee without notice in accordance with section 13(1) or (2) and section 14(1)(a):

(a) the wages, less any deductions which the employer is entitled to make under section 24, earned by such employee up to and including the day immediately preceding the day on which the termination of the contract of service takes effect; and

(b) in addition, where the employer terminates the contract of service under section 13(1), the indemnity payable to the employee under that subsection:

shall be paid by the employer to the employee not later than the day on which such contract of service is so terminated.

(2) Where an employee terminates his contract of service with an employer without notice in accordance with section 13(1) or (2) or section 14(3), the wages, less any deductions which the employer is entitled to make under section 24, earned by such employee up to and including the day immediately preceding the day on which the termination of the contract of service takes effect shall be paid by the employer to the employee not later than the third day after the day on which the contract of service is so terminated.

22. Limitation of advances to employees.

No employer shall during any one month make to an employee an advance or advances of wages not already earned by such employee which exceeds to the aggregate the amount of wages which the employee earned in the preceding month from his employment with such employer, or if he has not been so long in the employment of such employer, the amount which he is likely to earn in such employment during one month, unless such advance is made to the employee:

(a) to enable him to purchase a house or to build or improve a house;

(b) to enable him to purchase land;

(c ) to enable him to purchase livestock;

(d) to enable him to purchase a motorcar, a motorcycle or a bicycle;

(da) to enable him to purchase shares of the employer¡¦s business offered for sale by the employer;

(e) for any other purposes;

(i) in respect of which an application in writing is made by the employer to the Director-General;

(ii) which is, in the opinion of the Director-General, beneficial to the employee; and

(iii) which is approved in writing by the Director-General, provided that in granting such approval, the Director-General may make such modifications thereto or impose such conditions thereon as he may deem proper;

(f) for such other purposes as the Minister may, from time to time, by notification in the Gazette, specify either generally in respect of all employees, or only in respect of any particular employee, or any class, category or description of employees.

23. Wages not due for absence from work through imprisonment or attendance in court.

Wages shall not become payable to or recoverable by any employee from his employer for or on account of the term of any sentence of imprisonment undergone by him or for any period spent by him in custody or for or on account of any period spent by him in going to or returning from prison or other place of custody or for or on account of any period spent by him in going to, attending before or returning from a court otherwise than as a witness on his employer's behalf.