Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Labour and Employment Department, Government of Gujarat, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar
- Notified
- 5th October 2021 (Notification No. KHR-2021-129-IDA-122020-539471-M(2))
- Objection window
- 30 days from 31st March 2021, when the draft rules were first published in the Gujarat Government Gazette, Extraordinary, Part I-L
- Legal basis
- Section 99 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (35 of 2020), read with Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, 1897
- Supersedes
- The Gujarat Trade Union Regulations, 1963; The Bombay Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules, 1959; The Industrial Disputes (Gujarat) Rules, 1966
- Current Status
- In force. The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 was brought into force nationally with effect from 21st November 2025 (Ministry of Labour and Employment Notification No. S.O. 5320(E)), which is the trigger date under Rule 1(3) of these Gujarat Rules
These state rules were framed by the Gujarat Government under Section 99 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, to spell out the day to day procedure for works committees, standing orders, strikes, lay off, retrenchment, closure, trade unions, and dispute resolution in Gujarat. They were notified on 5 October 2021 and came into force when the Industrial Relations Code 2020 itself commenced nationwide on 21 November 2025. This guide walks through the forms, due dates, key provisions and applicability employers need to know.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works Committee meeting frequency | Internal minutes | Quarterly | At least once every 3 months |
| Grievance decision by GRC | Application to GRC | Per grievance | Within 30 days of the application |
| Appeal to Conciliation Officer against GRC decision | Not applicable | Per grievance | Within 60 days of GRC decision / expiry of 30-day period |
| Grievance to be raised by worker | Application to GRC | Per event | Within 1 year of cause of action |
| Certifying Officer's observations on Standing Orders | Rule 8 intimation | Per filing | Within 30 days of receipt of intimation |
| Employer's compliance after Certifying Officer's direction | Compliance report | Per filing | Within 30 days of receipt of direction |
| Appeal against Certifying Officer's order | Memorandum of appeal | Per order | Within 60 days of receipt of order |
| Objections to draft Standing Order (no union) | Not applicable | Per filing | Within 15 days of receiving the notice |
| Retrenchment notice to State Govt (general, Ch. VIII) | Form-VIII | Per event | 60 days before commencement |
| Closure notice to State Govt (general, Ch. VIII) | Form-VIII | Per event | 60 days before commencement |
| Lay-off permission application (Ch. X establishments) | Form-IX | Per event | At least 15 days before intended lay-off |
| Continuation of lay-off permission | Form-IX | Per event | At least 15 days before expiry of earlier lay-off |
| Retrenchment permission application (Ch. X establishments) | Form-IX | Per event | At least 60 days before intended retrenchment |
| Closure permission application (Ch. X establishments) | Form-IX | Per event | At least 90 days before intended closure |
| Review of State Govt order on lay-off/retrenchment/closure | Not applicable | Per order | Within 30 days of the order |
| Employer's transfer to Worker Re-skilling Fund | Not applicable | Per retrenchment | Within 10 days of retrenching the worker |
| State Government's transfer to worker's account | Not applicable | Per receipt | Within 45 days of receiving funds from employer |
| Payment to compound an offence | Form-X (Part III) | Per notice | Within 15 days of receiving the notice |
| Appeal against Registrar's order (Trade Union) | Not applicable | Per order | Within 90 days of the order |
| Change in Trade Union particulars/rules/address | Form-XVII | Per change | Within 14 days of the change |
| Notice of Trade Union dissolution | Form-XX | Per event | Within 14 days of dissolution |
| Trade Union annual return | Form-XXI | Annual | By 30th April every year |
| Protected worker nomination by union | Not applicable | Annual | Before 30th April every year |
| Employer's recognition of protected workers | Not applicable | Per nomination | Within 15 days of receiving names |
| Conciliation Officer's failure report | Not applicable | Per dispute | Within 7 days of conclusion of proceedings |
| Application to Industrial Tribunal after failed conciliation | Form-V | Per dispute | Within 90 days of the conciliation report |
| First hearing before Industrial Tribunal | Not applicable | Per case | Within 1 month of receiving the application |
| Written statement by opposite party | Not applicable | Per case | Within 30 days of the first hearing |
| Industrial Tribunal Award communicated | Not applicable | Per award | Within 1 month of pronouncement |
Key Provisions
What changed under the Code, and what it means for payroll.
Old Law vs. New Law
What employers followed before, against what applies now — point matched against point.
| On this point | Before — earlier law | Now — the new Code |
|---|---|---|
| Standing Orders certification | Bombay Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules, 1959 - separate paper-based certification process | Deemed certification if the Certifying Officer raises no observation within 30 days (Rule 8); records maintained electronically |
| Trade Union registration and filings | Gujarat Trade Union Regulations, 1963 - largely paper-based filings | Registration, returns, changes, amalgamation and dissolution can all be filed electronically (Rules 41-58) |
| Dispute resolution notices | Industrial Disputes (Gujarat) Rules, 1966 - post/manual filing of strike, lock-out, retrenchment and closure notices | Electronic filing and intimation is the default mode across strike, lock-out, lay-off, retrenchment and closure notices (Rules 24-34) |
| Worker support after retrenchment | No equivalent re-skilling fund mechanism | New Worker Re-skilling Fund (Rule 35) requires employers to fund 15 days' wages per retrenched worker for retraining |
| Grievance handling | Grievance mechanisms were not uniformly codified under the earlier rules | A dedicated Grievance Redressal Committee (Rules 5-7), with mandated women's representation and defined escalation timelines to the Conciliation Officer |
| Industrial Tribunal structure | Separate Labour Court and Industrial Tribunal structure under the earlier regime | A two-member Industrial Tribunal (Judicial Member + Administrative Member), selected through a Search-cum-Selection Committee headed by the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court (Rules 21-22) |
| Union recognition for negotiation | No statutory Sole Negotiating Union/Council mechanism under the earlier rules | Formal criteria and verification process for recognising a Sole Negotiating Union or Negotiating Council (Rules 60-64) |
| Registration fee and subscription | Fee and subscription structure under the Trade Unions framework applicable earlier | Revised fee slabs (Rs. 1,000 for unions with 1,000+ members, Rs. 500 below that) and minimum annual subscription (Rs. 120 unorganised sector, Rs. 240 organised sector) under Rule 44 |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- All industrial establishments and matters in Gujarat for which the Gujarat Government is the 'appropriate Government' under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (Rule 1(2))
- Effective from the commencement date of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, as stated in Rule 1(3)
Exempted / special treatment
- Establishments to which Chapter X of the Code applies face additional requirements - prior State Government permission (not just notice) before lay-off, retrenchment or closure, under Rules 29 to 34
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What are the Industrial Relations (Gujarat) Rules, 2021?
These are the state rules framed by the Gujarat Government under Section 99 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, to spell out the day to day procedure for works committees, standing orders, strikes, lay off, retrenchment, closure, trade unions, and dispute resolution in Gujarat.
When were these rules notified?
They were notified on 5th October 2021 by the Labour and Employment Department, Gandhinagar, vide Notification No. KHR-2021-129-IDA-122020-539471-M(2).
Which older laws do these rules replace?
They supersede the Gujarat Trade Union Regulations, 1963, the Bombay Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules, 1959, and the Industrial Disputes (Gujarat) Rules, 1966.
Where do these rules apply?
They apply to the whole of Gujarat, but only to industrial establishments and matters where the Gujarat Government is the 'appropriate Government' under the Code.
From when did these rules come into force?
They came into force from the date the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 itself commenced.
Was a draft of these rules published for public comments first?
Yes. The draft was published on 31st March 2021 in the Gujarat Government Gazette, and the public had 30 days to send objections and suggestions before the final rules were notified.
What does 'electronically' mean under these rules?
Rule 2(1)(c) defines it as any information sent by email, uploaded on the designated government portal, or paid through any digital payment mode for the purposes of the Code.
Do these rules use their own definitions, or borrow from the Code?
Mostly they borrow from the Code. Any word not separately defined in the Rules carries the same meaning it has in the Industrial Relations Code, 2020.
Who administers these rules on the ground?
A mix of officers - Conciliation Officers, Certifying Officers, the Registrar/Deputy Registrar of Trade Unions, Compounding Officers, and the Industrial Tribunal - each handling a different part of the process.
Is there a Gujarati version of the rules?
Yes. The notification specifically directs the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Department to publish a Gujarati version in the Extraordinary Gujarat Government Gazette.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Gujarat Government Gazette, Extraordinary, Part I-L, dated 5th October 2021, Notification No. KHR-2021-129-IDA-122020-539471-M(2), Labour and Employment Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar (official)
- → Draft rules published for objections on 31st March 2021 in the Gujarat Government Gazette, Extraordinary, Part I-L, under Notification No. KHR-2021-30-IDA122020-539471-M(2) (official)
- → The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (35 of 2020), the parent legislation under which these rules are framed, Sections 85 to 89 (Offences and Penalties) (official)
- → Ministry of Labour and Employment Notification No. S.O. 5320(E), dated 21st November 2025, bringing the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 into force nationwide (official)
For informational purposes only — not legal advice. State rules referenced here are subject to change on final notification. Verify current status with our compliance team before acting.