Section 34 in Bombay Industrial Relations Act, 1946
34. Powers and duties of Labour Officer. - (1) A Labour Officer shall exercise the powers conferred, and perform the duties imposed on him by or under this Act.
(2)For the purpose of exercising such power and performing such duties a Labour Officer may, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, at any time during the working hours and outside working hours after reasonable notice enter and inspect-(a)any place used for the purpose of any industry;(b)any place used as the office of any union;(c)any premises provided an employer for the residence of his employees, and shall be entitled to call for and inspect all relevant documents which he may deem necessary for the due discharge of his duties and powers under this Act.(3)All particulars contained in or information obtained from any document inspected or called for under sub-section (2) shall, if the person in whose possession the document was so required, be treated as confidential.(4)A Labour Officer may, after giving reasonable notice, convene a meeting of employees for any of the purposes of this Act, on the premises where they are employed and may require the employer to affix a written notice of the meeting at such conspicuous place in such premises as he may order and may also himself affix or cause to be affixed such notice. The notice shall specify the date, time and place of the meeting, the employees or class of employees affected and the purpose for which the meeting is convened:Provided that during the continuance of a lock-out which is not illegal, no meeting of employees affected thereby shall be convened on such premises without the employer's consent.(5)A Labour Officer shall be entitled to appear in any proceeding under this Act,(6)It shall be the duty of the Labour Officer to-(a)watch the interests of employees and promote harmonious relations between employers and employees;(b)investigate the grievances of employees and represent to employers such grievances and make recommendations to them in consultation with the employees concerned for their redress;(c)report to the [State] Government the existence of any industrial dispute of which no notice of change has been given, together with the names of the parties thereto:Provided that the Labour Officer shall not-(a)appear in any proceeding in which the employees who are parties thereto are represented by a Representative Union,(b)where there in [an approved union] for an industry in a local area, [except after consultation with such union], act under clause (b) of subsection (6) in respect of the employees.
