As per the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, ‘Lay-off’

As per the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, ‘Lay-off’ means the failure, refusal or inability of an employer to give employment to a workman whose name is borne on the master rolls of his industrial establishment and who has not been retrenched on account of

shortage of coal or power
shortage of raw materials or breakdown of machinery
accumulation of stocks
All of the above
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CISF-AC-EXE – 2017
The correct option is D. As per the definition of ‘Lay-off’ in the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the inability of an employer to give employment can be on account of any of the reasons listed in options A, B, and C.
Section 2(kkk) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 defines “lay-off”. The definition includes “the failure, refusal or inability of an employer on account of shortage of coal, power or raw materials or the accumulation of stocks or the breakdown of machinery or for any other connected reason to give employment…”.
Let’s check the options against this definition:
A) shortage of coal or power: Both are explicitly mentioned in the definition.
B) shortage of raw materials or breakdown of machinery: Both are explicitly mentioned in the definition.
C) accumulation of stocks: Explicitly mentioned in the definition.
Since all the reasons listed in options A, B, and C are included in the statutory definition of ‘lay-off’, the correct answer is that lay-off can occur due to All of the above.
Lay-off is a temporary deprivation of employment to a workman by the employer for reasons beyond the employer’s control or specific operational reasons listed in the Act. During lay-off, the workman’s name is retained on the muster roll, and they are entitled to lay-off compensation under certain conditions as specified in the Act.