Gujarat’s Labour Department has filed 1,217 cases against establishments for failing to pay legally mandated bonuses over the past two years, with workers receiving favourable verdicts in all 575 cases decided during 2025-26, according to a report by Sandesh.
The action covers commercial establishments, industrial groups and other institutions accused of delaying or withholding statutory bonus payments. Under the applicable central bonus payment law, eligible workers and employees must receive a bonus calculated at a minimum rate of 8.33% of annual wages, the report said.
Employers are required to pay the bonus by November 30 each year. The Labour Commissioner’s office has initiated legal proceedings against establishments that did not comply with the deadline, making the enforcement drive a significant test of how wage-related protections are implemented across Gujarat’s formal and semi-formal urban workplaces.
The department recorded 530 cases during 2024-25. The number increased to 687 in 2025-26, indicating a rise of 157 cases, or nearly 30%, between the two reporting periods. Of the 687 cases filed in 2025-26, 575 were disposed of by the Labour Court, and each of those cases resulted in a verdict in favour of workers, according to the report.
The figures highlight the role of labour adjudication in recovering payments that may otherwise remain inaccessible to workers, particularly where employees depend on formal complaints and court proceedings to enforce statutory entitlements. The report did not provide a separate establishment-wise or city-wise breakdown of the cases.
Workers reportedly received Rs 209 crore as ex-gratia payments during 2025-26. The report linked these payments to the wider bonus enforcement process but did not provide details of the number of workers covered, the establishments involved or the method used to calculate the amount for individual employees.
The final official figures for action taken and payments made during 2026-27 are expected to be released in December, after the November 30 deadline for bonus payments. Until those figures are published, the current-year enforcement picture remains provisional, according to the report.
