The Delhi government has issued a notification for draft Industrial Relations (Delhi) Rules, 2025. This proposes a set of rules for trade unions and employers in the region.
These rules have been made public to allow stakeholders to pursue them and share comments and suggestions as necessary. These can be submitted within 30 days of the notification date (December 3, 2025) to the Labour Department of Delhi.
One of the proposed rules sets out the composition of the Works Committee and the selection of representatives of the employer and workers engaged in the establishment. The committee should have a fixed number of members not exceeding 20 and should not have fewer worker representatives than employers.
The rules also dictate that a Grievance Redressal Committee should not have more than 10 members and must have an equal number of members representing the employer and the workers. The proportion of women in the committee should not be less than their presence in the workforce. Additionally, grievances have to be raised within a year of the date of the dispute being cited as cause.
The draft also proposes the process for trade union registration, mandatory annual audits, submission of annual returns, criteria for recognition of negotiating unions and negotiating councils, and the minimum membership requirements for recognition of State-level Trade Unions.
The proposed Industrial Relations (Delhi) Rules, 2025, also detail procedures for notice of strikes and lockouts, arbitration, conciliation proceedings, and the functioning of Industrial Tribunals. As per the draft, employers who wish to change service conditions under the Third Schedule of the Industrial Relations Code will be required to issue a formal notice to affected workers in a prescribed format and display it prominently at the establishment. Copies must also be sent to registered trade unions.
It also lays down a formal agreement process for voluntary arbitration, specifying who can sign on behalf of employers and workers, and mandating written consent from arbitrators. If the government is satisfied that both sides are adequately represented, it will publish a notification enabling non-party workers and employers to present their case before the arbitrator.
The procedures for selection, tenure, salary and service conditions of Judicial Members and Administrative Members of the Industrial Tribunal have also been outlined. Furthermore, the draft details the process for inquiries into complaints of misconduct or incapacity against tribunal members. This includes mandatory preliminary scrutiny and provisions for removal on grounds such as insolvency, conviction for offences involving moral turpitude, abuse of position, or medical incapacity.
The draft also formalises procedures for strikes and lockouts. Strike notices must be given in a prescribed form by the Secretary and five elected representatives of the concerned trade union and endorsed to the conciliation authorities. Employers issuing lockout notices must similarly notify labour authorities and display notices prominently.
Employers will also be required to submit applications for permission electronically, serve copies on workers, and display notices at the establishment for layoffs, retrenchments, and closures. The government may review its orders within 30 days of granting or refusing such permissions.
The draft further proposes mechanisms for the Worker Re-skilling Fund, requiring employers to transfer the equivalent of 15 days’ last-drawn wages for each retrenched worker within 10 days of retrenchment. The government will transfer the amount to workers’ accounts within 45 days.
