Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Labour and ESI Department, Government of Odisha
- Notified
- February 15, 2026 (published in Odisha Gazette Extraordinary No. 663 dated February 16, 2026)
- Objection window
- 30 days from the date gazette copies were made available to the public (closed around mid March 2026)
- Legal basis
- Section 99 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (Central Act 35 of 2020) read with Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, 1897
- Supersedes
- Odisha Industrial Disputes Rules 1959; Odisha Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules 1946; Odisha Trade Union Regulations 1941
- Status as of
- July 2026, still in draft form, final notification awaited
The Odisha Industrial Relations Rules, 2026 were published in draft form in the Odisha Gazette Extraordinary No. 663 dated February 16, 2026. The notification set a 30 day window for the public to send objections and suggestions, which closed around mid March 2026. As of the date of this guide, the State Government has not issued a final notification bringing these rules into force. Under Rule 1(3), the rules will take effect only from the date of their final publication in the Odisha Gazette. Until that happens, the three laws these rules are meant to replace, namely the Odisha Industrial Disputes Rules 1959, the Odisha Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules 1946, and the Odisha Trade Union Regulations 1941, continue to apply. Employers in Odisha should track the Labour and ESI Department website for the final notification and be ready to transition once it is issued.
The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 came into force across India on November 21, 2025, folding the Trade Unions Act, 1926, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 into a single central law. Every state now has to frame its own rules to put the Code into practice locally, and Odisha has released its draft. If finalized as written, these rules will reshape how employers in Odisha handle Works Committees, trade union recognition, standing orders, layoff, retrenchment, closure, and strikes, largely by moving compliance onto an electronic State Government portal.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constitute Works Committee | One time, on Government order | Forthwith | |
| Hold Works Committee meetings | Recurring | At least once every three months | |
| Report Works Committee details in annual return | Unified Annual Return under OSH Rules | Annual | As per OSH Rules filing schedule |
| Send notice of change in service conditions | Form XV | Event based | Before the change takes effect, per Section 40 of the Code |
| Send notice of lock out | Form XXIII | Event based | Prior notice under Section 62(5) of the Code; copy to authorities within 5 days |
| Intimate retrenchment (Chapter IX establishments) | Form XXIV | Event based | Within 3 days of notice or wage payment to worker, or at least 1 month before an agreed termination date |
| Intimate closure (Chapter IX establishments) | Form XXIV | Event based | At least 60 days before commencement of closure |
| Apply for permission to lay off (Chapter X establishments) | Form XXV | Event based | At least 15 days before the intended layoff |
| Apply for permission to continue a layoff | Form XXV | Event based | At least 15 days before expiry of the earlier layoff |
| Apply for permission to retrench (Chapter X establishments) | Form XXV | Event based | At least 60 days before the intended retrenchment |
| Apply for permission to close (Chapter X establishments) | Form XXV | Event based | At least 90 days before the intended closure |
| Transfer contribution to Worker Reskilling Fund | Event based | Within 10 days of retrenchment | |
| Deposit compounding amount | Form XXVI (Part III) | Event based | Within 15 days of receiving the notice |
| Recognize protected workers after union nomination | Annual, event based | Within 15 days of receiving names from the Trade Union (Union submits by April 30 each year) |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Governing framework | Three separate laws, the Industrial Disputes Act 1947, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946, and the Trade Unions Act 1926, each with its own Odisha rules | One consolidated Industrial Relations Code, 2020, with a single set of Odisha rules covering all three areas |
| Works Committee | Governed under the Industrial Disputes Act framework with no explicit gender representation requirement | Rule 4 requires proportional representation of women workers and caps membership at 20 |
| Grievance Redressal | Provisions existed under the Industrial Disputes Act with a different worker count threshold | Rule 5 applies to establishments with 20 or more workers and mandates women representation on the committee |
| Trade union recognition | No statutory mechanism to recognize a negotiating union; recognition was largely voluntary | Rule 23 introduces a statutory 30 percent membership threshold for sole negotiating union status and a secret ballot verification process for negotiating councils |
| Standing Orders | Certification under the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act always required an active certifying officer decision | Rule 25A allows deemed certification if the certifying officer does not object within 30 days of an employer adopting the Model Standing Orders |
| Filing and records | Physical registers and paper based filings with authorities | Rule 63 requires electronic maintenance of records, and most forms move through a designated State Government portal |
| Worker separation support | No statutory reskilling fund requirement | Rule 53 introduces a mandatory Worker Reskilling Fund contribution on every retrenchment |
| Offence resolution | No structured compounding mechanism at the state rules level | Rule 54 creates a defined compounding process with fixed timelines before a designated officer |
| Dispute adjudication body | Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals constituted under the Industrial Disputes Act | Industrial Tribunals under the Code, with separate Judicial and Administrative Members appointed as per Section 44 |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- All industrial establishments in Odisha for matters where the State Government is the appropriate Government under the Code
- Establishments directed by the State Government to constitute a Works Committee under Section 3 of the Code
- Establishments with 20 or more workers, for the Grievance Redressal Committee
- Registered trade unions operating within Odisha, for registration, recognition, and audit requirements
- Employers under Chapter IX of the Code, for general retrenchment and closure notice requirements
- Establishments with 300 or more workers, for mandatory office accommodation to the negotiating union or council under Rule 23(7)
Exempted / special treatment
- Establishments where the Central Government is the appropriate Government follow the Central Industrial Relations Rules instead
- Establishments in existence for less than one year are exempt from the service qualification for the first Works Committee election
- Establishments with fewer than 20 workers are not required to constitute a Grievance Redressal Committee
- Trade unions confined to a single industrial establishment, for negotiating union or council recognition under Rule 23
- Employers under Chapter X of the Code face longer prior permission timelines instead of simple intimation
- Establishments below that threshold are not required to provide this facility
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
1. What are the Odisha Industrial Relations Rules, 2026?
They are the draft state level rules that put the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 into practice in Odisha, covering Works Committees, trade unions, standing orders, notice of change, arbitration, strikes and lock outs, layoff, retrenchment, closure, and offence compounding.
2. Have these rules come into force yet?
Not yet. They were published in draft form on February 16, 2026 and will take effect only from the date of their final publication in the Odisha Gazette, as stated in Rule 1(3).
3. Which older laws do these rules replace?
Once finalized, they will replace the Odisha Industrial Disputes Rules 1959, the Odisha Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules 1946, and the Odisha Trade Union Regulations 1941.
4. Who could object to the draft rules and how?
Any person or organization could send objections and suggestions to the Special Secretary, Labour and ESI Department, in the prescribed format, by email to labsec.or@od.gov.in, within 30 days of the gazette copies becoming available.
5. Does every employer in Odisha need a Works Committee?
Only establishments for which the State Government has issued a specific order under Section 3 of the Code need to constitute one, as set out in Rule 4.
6. What size establishment needs a Grievance Redressal Committee?
Under Rule 5, any industrial establishment employing 20 or more workers must set one up, with equal employer and worker representation.
7. How does a trade union get recognized as the sole negotiating union?
Under Rule 23(2), a single registered trade union with membership of at least 30 percent of the establishment's workers must be recognized as the sole negotiating union.
8. What happens when there is more than one trade union in an establishment?
A negotiating council is formed, with membership verified through a secret ballot conducted by a verification officer, as set out in Rule 23(3) to (6).
9. Do employers still need to get standing orders certified individually?
Employers can instead adopt the Central Government's Model Standing Orders. Under Rule 25A, these are deemed certified if the certifying officer raises no objection within 30 days.
10. What is the Worker Reskilling Fund?
Under Rule 53, every employer who retrenches a worker must transfer an amount equal to 15 days of that worker's last drawn wages into a designated account within 10 days, to help fund the worker's reskilling.
11. How much notice is required before closing an establishment?
It depends on which chapter applies. Under Chapter IX, intimation of closure must reach the State Government at least 60 days in advance. Under Chapter X, which covers larger establishments requiring prior permission, the notice period is at least 90 days.
12. Can an offence under the Code be settled without prosecution?
Yes. Rule 54 allows a designated compounding officer to compound eligible offences if the accused deposits the compounding amount within 15 days of receiving notice.
13. Is filing under these rules mostly online?
Yes. Most forms, including trade union registration, standing orders adoption, strike and lock out notices, and settlement filings, are meant to be submitted electronically through a designated State Government portal, as required under Rule 63.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Odisha Gazette, Extraordinary, No. 663, Cuttack, February 16, 2026, Labour and ESI Department Notification No. 1154 LESI LR POL 0002/2026/LESI (official)
- → Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (Central Act 35 of 2020) (official)
- → General Clauses Act, 1897 (official)
- → Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Notification S.O. 5320(E) dated November 21, 2025 (official)
- → Labour and ESI Department, Government of Odisha (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.