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Raj (Propreitor)     26 November 2012

Pf withdrawal - employer disappeared

Hello Legal Experts,

At the outset, I thank you for your efforts in helping public who are unaware of legal matters.

I was working for a Private Limited Company for the past 6 years, which seem to have defaulted to pay the deducted PF amount to the concerned department for the last 2 years. Also, they are not releasing salaries and a huge accumulated amount is pending. The promoters / Directors are in US and there is no one here even to accept my resignation or acknowledge the PF form. I am jobless since May. As no operational office is found here, I did send the filled PF form via email to the promoters/Directors for attestation and there is no response.

I badly need to withdraw the PF amount (both employer and employee contribution). Please help me to withdraw the complete amount lying with PF.

Is there any legal way to recover my huge pending salaries? and Legal way to withdraw PF amount?

Thanks,
Raj
 



Learning

 7 Replies

Kumar Doab (FIN)     26 November 2012

If company defaulted on Payments the APFC/RPFC in PF office must have initiated 7B proceedings against the company. If PF office has done nothing as per manual it has to bear the brunt. Your funds deposited so far with PF office+ interest is safe and is in custody of PF office.

The Employer, government, various officials as described in various enactments is to be approached e.g:

SE Act Delhi:

(8)  “employer”   means   the       owner    of  any   establishment   about     the   business   of   which        persons are employed, and where the business of such establishment is not directly managed by the owner, means the manager, agent or representative of such owner in the said business;

(12)   “Government” means the *Chief Commissioner, Delhi;

(15)   “inspector” means an Inspector appointed under section 36 of the Act

(17)   “occupier” means a person owning or having charge or control of establishment and includes the manager, agent or representative of such occupier;

20)   “register    of  establishments”      means     a  register   maintained     for  the   registration   of        establishments under this Act;

(21)   “registration     certificate”   means      a   certificate   showing      the   registration    of   an establishment;

The company must have been registered and Registrar of Companies should have full information.

For PF you may approach APFC/RPFC/PRO in local o/o PF commissioner and escalate to Addl.CPFC of your state and CPFC.YOU can peruse RTI route.

The contact details of PF officials, rules etc  can be found at

www.epfindia.gov.in

 

For Gratuity you may approach Controlling Authority of Gratuity which may be ALC in o/o Labor commissioner at your location.

 

THE PAYMENT OF GRATUITY (CENTRAL)

RULES, 19721

3. Notice of opening, change or closure of the establishment.-

(3) Where an employer intends to close down the business he shall submit a notice in Form C to the controlling authority of the area at least sixty days before the intended closure.

 

     4. Display of notice.-(1) The employer shall display conspicuously a notice at or near the main entrance of the establishment in bold letters in English and in a language understood by the majority of the employees specifying the name of officer with designation authorised by the employer to receive on his behalf notices under the Act or the rules.

 

     (2) A fresh notice shall be displayed immediately after the notice referred to in sub-rule (1) becomes illegible or requires a change.

 

 

 

For your dues from company you may approach Manager/Occupier/Agent etc.

Has the company applied for closure of the establishment or for liquidation etc?

In a given situation employee can invoke the provisions of ID Act, IESO Act, Payment of Wages Act, SE Act as per explanation of employee under the provisions of these enactments or approach civil court. Designation alone does not decide that employee is a workman or not.

It shall be appropriate to approach a competent and experienced service lawyer/labor consultant with copies of all of your documents salary slips emails etc and give inputs in person and proceed under expert advice of your lawyer. Your lawyer shall evaluate the merits and may opine that you fall within the category of workman.

State is duty bound to locate this employer. The authorities are duty bound to lodge complaint with police to locate the employer. You may share all details of the promoters etc with law enforcement agencies.


Attached File : 375944679 delhi shops & establishments act, 1954.pdf downloaded: 156 times

Sudhir Kumar, Advocate (Advocate)     26 November 2012

Whether the employer has disappeared:-

 

(i) Before or after deposit of money with EPFO?

(ii) If deposted or partially deposited whether before or after filing 3A/6A returns.

 

Whether 7A proceedings have been intiated or not and if not whether you have made any complaint to the PF office ro not.

Kumar Doab (FIN)     26 November 2012

Mr. Sudhir Kumar has given valuable advice.Kindly follow it, and update.

Raj (Propreitor)     29 November 2012

Dear Mr. Sudhir & all, 

Partially deposited though withheld in salary. Initial 3 years, the employer has deposited to PF and later 2 - 3 years, they defaulted. I am not sure of filing 3a/6a form or 7a proceedings. Please help to retrieve my  money. The promoters are not responding to the form 19 & 10 C sent to them via email for attestation. Can I withdraw withdraw without their signature as the company is not operational as on date? Thanks, Raj

Sudhir Kumar, Advocate (Advocate)     29 November 2012

company is closed yu can withdraw on attestation by Bank Manager/Gaz officer CBT Member/ MP/MLA/Sarpanch and some other authorities.

 

If F 3A/6A is not deposited before disappearance then you are in soup. EPFO has no remedy.  You can try consumer court.

Nilesh Kumar   22 June 2015

Hello Sir

I had resigned from the company at the end of march 2015 but i haven't recd PF amount & resignation letter.I have recd my settlement amount but haven't given me calculation sheet for that. Even though I have no Knowledge of my PF a/c no. I am working in this co. for 10 months. it's there any requirment in law to create a PF a/c by the employer or it is to be created as soon as recruitment of employee. PF amount is deducted from my salary every month but they haven't give me my PF a/c no. The co. hadn't response to my mails or even they hadn't response to my phone.

Please suggest what I have to do.

Thanks 

Nilesh Kumar

Ranchi

Kumar Doab (FIN)     23 June 2015

 

If company has made the payment post resignation, of some settlement amount then it implies it has accepted your resignation.

 

Employee is entitled to get: acknowledgment of notice of resignation/resignation, salary slip of each month and including last month,  acceptance of resignation, correct FnF statement showing computation of earned wages/leave encashment/bonus/reimbursements/incentives/OT etc for verification and acceptance by employee, Form16 as per correct FnF statement, Service Certificate, Relieving Letter, NOC/NDC, PF a/c number with a/c slip of each year,ESIC card etc………..

 

Have you demanded PF number with a/c slip of each year in writing under proper acknowledgment?

  

FnF statement and Last salary slip: You may approach Inspector appointed under State Shops and Establishments Act, Payment of Wages Act (within 1 year), O/o Labor Commissioner....

 

 

Form16: You may approach ITO-TDS where you file ITR, CIT-TDS where company files ITR

 

PF; You can withdraw/transfer the PF. It is better to transfer and keep the a/c regular and be eligible for pension and other benefits. If you withdraw you will loose from pension component.

The employer can not decline to share the PF number and PF a/c slips. Demand everything by Redg. Post.

 

The PF withdrawal/transfer forms are to be attested and submitted by employer to concerned PF office within 5 days and acknowledgment issued by PF office  (for employee) is to be supplied by employer to employee by effective mode of communication. You may demand it by Redg. Post only followed by email.

The employer can be penalized for delay.

Declinature to attest PF forms is offence.

Non Payment of deducted PF contribution amounts to fraud and a criminal complaint can be lodged with police.

Although the PF office has noted the offence but has not acted.

You can lodge complaint thru RPFC in nearest PF office with a copy to RPFC of the concerned PF office, Addl CPFC of the state, CPFC, and follow up thru RTI as well. You can issue notice/legal notice. You can pull them to DCDRF. All of these/any of these…………. should add godspeed.

You can demand to initiate 7A proceedings and demand that you be made intervening party.

You can lodge complaint with Board with which it is affiliated, State Education Act officials.

You can also agitate thru Employee’s/Trade Unions.

 

You can rake up thru Employee's/Trade Unions, an able Labor Law Consultant/service matters lawyer/law firm.

 

 

 


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