Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
"Lay-off" is a situation where an employer is unable to provide employment to a workman due to reasons like shortage of coal, power, raw materials, or breakdown of machinery. The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, provides a right to the laid-off workmen to receive compensation from the employer for the period of lay-off. The question asks for the specific section that grants this right.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze the sections in Chapter VA of the ID Act, which deals with Lay-off and Retrenchment:
\begin{itemize}
\item (A) S.25-O: Deals with the procedure for closing down an undertaking in certain establishments.
\item (B) S.26: Deals with illegal strikes and lock-outs.
\item (C) S.25-C: This section is titled "Right of workmen laid-off for compensation." It explicitly states that whenever a workman whose name is on the muster rolls of an industrial establishment is laid-off, he shall be paid compensation equivalent to fifty per cent of the total of the basic wages and dearness allowance. This section is the source of the right to claim lay-off compensation.
\item (D) S.25-M: Lays down the special provisions and procedure for lay-off in larger industrial establishments, including the requirement of prior permission from the appropriate government.
\end{itemize}
While S.25-M provides the procedure for certain establishments, the fundamental right to compensation for a laid-off workman is guaranteed by S.25-C.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The provision that guarantees the right of laid-off workmen to claim compensation is S.25-C.