Which older Rajasthan rules have been repealed?

Three rule sets are repealed: the Rajasthan Industrial Disputes Rules 1958, the Rajasthan Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules 1963, and the Rajasthan Trade Union Regulation Rules 1959.

What is the maximum size of a Works Committee in Rajasthan?

A Works Committee cannot exceed 20 members, with worker representatives at least equal in number to employer representatives, and mandatory proportional representation for women workers.

What is the maximum size of a Grievance Redressal Committee?

A Grievance Redressal Committee cannot exceed 10 members, with equal representation of employer and worker members.

What membership threshold makes a union the sole negotiating union?

Where only one registered trade union operates in an industrial establishment and its membership is not less than 30% of total workers, the employer must recognize it as the sole negotiating union.

What is the minimum trade union subscription in Rajasthan?

Minimum annual subscription is ₹20 for rural workers, ₹30 for other unorganised sector workers, and ₹50 for any other case, as fixed under the union's own rules approved by the Registrar.

What is the notice period before closure or retrenchment under Chapter X establishments?

Employers must apply for prior permission at least 60 days before an intended closure and follow the prescribed timelines for retrenchment applications, with the State Government required to review permission orders within 30 days if requested.

Who must strike and lock-out notices be copied to?

A strike notice (Form-XV) must be copied to the conciliation officer, Labour Commissioner, Secretary of the Labour Department, and District Magistrate. A lock-out notice (Form-XVI) goes to the trade union secretary, conciliation officer, Labour Commissioner, District Magistrate, and Secretary of the Labour Department.

By when must unions notify the employer of protected workers?

Registered trade unions must communicate the names and addresses of officers to be recognized as protected workers to the employer by 30th April every year.

Rajasthan Industrial Relations Rules, 2026: Complete Compliance Guide

Q: When were the Rajasthan Industrial Relations Rules, 2026 notified?

The Rajasthan Labour Department notified the Rajasthan Industrial Relations Rules, 2026 vide S.O. 41 on 12-08-2026, published in the Rajasthan Gazette Extraordinary. The draft was published earlier on 20-01-2026 for public objections.

Q: What is the Worker Re-Skilling Fund under the Rajasthan IR Rules?

Employers must transfer an amount equal to 15 days of a retrenched worker's last-drawn wages to a designated State Government account within 10 days of retrenchment. The State Government then transfers this amount to the worker's own account within 45 days for re-skilling purposes.

Notification: S.O. 41, Labour Department, Government of Rajasthan Published: 12-08-2026, Rajasthan Gazette (Extraordinary) Effective from: Date of publication in the Official Gazette Repeals: Rajasthan Industrial Disputes Rules 1958, Rajasthan Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules 1963, Rajasthan Trade Union Regulation Rules 1959

Notified the same day as the Wage Code Rules, the Rajasthan Industrial Relations (IR) Rules, 2026 operationalize the central Industrial Relations Code, 2020 for the state. The draft was published on 20-01-2026; after the 45-day objection window, the final rules were notified on 12-08-2026 (S.O. 41). This is a larger, more procedural rulebook than the Wage Code Rules — 13 chapters and 20 forms covering everything from workplace committees to strike notices.

Source: Rajasthan Industrial Relations Rules, 2026 — Official Gazette Notification

Tracking similar rule notifications in other states? See our State Rules Tracker for a live, code-wise status across India.

1. Bi-Partite Workplace Forums

Works Committee (Rule 4)

Mandatory where the State Government has ordered constitution under Section 3
Maximum 20 members; worker representatives must be at least equal to employer representatives
Mandatory proportional representation for women workers
Worker representatives are elected — negotiating union nominates directly where one exists; otherwise a formal election process applies (nomination, scrutiny, secret ballot, minimum 3 working days for nominations, election within 3–15 days of nomination close)
Term: 3 years; must meet at least once every quarter
State Government can dissolve a non-functioning Committee

Grievance Redressal Committee (Rule 5)

Maximum 10 members, equal employer/worker representation
Same nomination logic as Works Committee (negotiating union nominates, or worker election)
Mandatory proportional women’s representation
Tenure: 3 years
Aggrieved worker can file a grievance within 1 year of the cause of action; if unresolved within 30 days, worker can escalate to the conciliation officer within 60 days

2. Trade Union Operations (Chapter III)

Registration: Application in Form-II, requires a notarized affidavit from all 7+ founding members declaring no conflicting union name exists.

Minimum subscription (Rule 11):

Category	Minimum annual subscription
Rural workers	₹20
Other unorganised sector workers	₹30
Any other case	₹50

Fund usage: General funds are restricted to specified purposes (salaries/admin, legal defense, dispute conduct, member compensation for trade-dispute losses, death/sickness/unemployment benefits, insurance, educational/social/religious benefits). A separate political fund can be constituted, but contribution to it is voluntary and cannot be a condition of union membership.

Auditor qualification scales with membership size (Rule 22):

Above 2,000 members: Company auditor under Companies Act, 2013
Up to 2,000: State-authorized public auditor or Chartered Accountant
Up to 1,000: Co-operative Societies auditor
Up to 250: Two ordinary union members (not on the executive committee)

Annual return: Due by 31st July each year (Form-VI).

3. Recognition as Negotiating Union / Council (Rule 17)

A single union with ≥30% membership of total workers is automatically recognized as the sole negotiating union
Where multiple unions exist, a State-appointed verification officer conducts membership verification via secret ballot
Recognition process must start at least 3 months before an existing recognition period expires
Recognition is valid for 3 years, extendable up to 5 years by mutual agreement
Recognized unions get statutory facilities: notice board, meeting venue, subscription check-off (with worker’s written consent), and — for establishments with 300+ workers — dedicated office space

4. Standing Orders (Chapter IV)

Employers adopting the Central Model Standing Orders need only intimate the certifying officer of the adoption date
Certifying officer has 30 days to raise observations/require amendments; if silent, deemed adopted
Certified standing orders must be maintained in Hindi (with English original if drafted in English)
Appeals against certifying officer orders go to the appellate authority within 60 days

5. Voluntary Arbitration (Chapter VI)

Arbitration Agreement in Form-IX, signed by authorized representatives of both sides
Where the dispute affects non-signatory employers/workers, the State Government publishes the reference in the Official Gazette so affected parties can present their case

6. Industrial Tribunal & Dispute Resolution (Chapter VII)

Judicial Member: Appointed from the District Judge cadre of Rajasthan Judicial Service, on High Court recommendation
Administrative Member: Must hold Joint Secretary-equivalent rank or be an Additional Labour Commissioner with a law degree (labour/industrial law specialization) or MSW in Labour Law/Personnel Management, plus 7 years of conciliation/quasi-judicial experience
Unresolved conciliation disputes go to the Tribunal within 90 days of the conciliation report (Form-XII)
Tribunal timelines: first hearing within 1 month of filing; written statement within 30 days of first hearing; arguments within 15 days of evidence closure; award communicated within 1 month of pronouncement
Adjournments limited to one week at a time, maximum 3 total (extendable only with recorded reasons)

7. Notice of Change (Chapter V)

Any change to conditions of service listed in the Third Schedule requires notice to affected workers (Form-VIII) — displayed at the establishment’s main entrance and manager’s office, and copied to the relevant Trade Union secretary.

8. Strikes & Lock-Outs (Chapter VIII)

	Form	Signed by	Copied to
Strike notice	Form-XV	Union secretary, or 5 elected worker representatives if no union	Conciliation officer, Labour Commissioner, Secretary (Labour Dept.), District Magistrate
Lock-out notice	Form-XVI	Employer	Union secretary, conciliation officer, Labour Commissioner, District Magistrate, Secretary (Labour Dept.)

Both notices must also be displayed at the establishment’s main entrance (physical or electronic notice board).

9. Lay-off, Retrenchment & Closure (Chapters IX & X)

Retrenchment notice (Form-XVII) to State Government and Joint Labour Commissioner — required for workers with 1+ year continuous service
Re-employment priority: Retrenched workers (within 1 year of retrenchment) must be offered new vacancies at least 15 days before filling, with priority over external candidates
Larger establishments (Chapter X applicability): prior permission required from State Government for lay-off/retrenchment/closure (Form-XVIII), with intimation timelines of 60 days before closure and 30 days before retrenchment
State Government must review permission orders, if requested, within 30 days

10. Worker Re-Skilling Fund (Chapter XI)

A distinctive Rajasthan provision: employers must transfer an amount equal to 15 days of the retrenched worker’s last-drawn wages to a designated State Government account within 10 days of retrenchment. The State Government then transfers this to the worker’s own account within 45 days, for the worker to use toward re-skilling.

11. Compounding of Offences (Chapter XII)

First-time, compoundable offences can be settled with a notified Gazetted Officer via Form-XIX, without prosecution — subject to payment of the compounding amount within 15 days of notice.

12. Protected Workers (Rule 57)

Unions must notify the employer of officers to be recognized as “protected workers” by 30th April each year. Where the number of nominees exceeds the statutory cap, allocation across multiple unions is proportional to their membership share.

What Employers Should Do Now

Map which establishments trigger mandatory Works Committee / Grievance Redressal Committee formation, and check current committee composition against the 20/10-member caps and women’s representation requirement
If relying on Central Model Standing Orders, confirm the adoption-intimation was filed and the Hindi-translation requirement is met
Build the 15-day re-skilling fund transfer into the retrenchment offboarding checklist — this is easy to miss and has a hard 10-day deadline
Review strike/lock-out notice distribution lists (Form-XV/XVI) to ensure all four required recipients are covered
If using negotiating union recognition processes, track the 3-months-before-expiry trigger for re-verification

This summary is based on the Rajasthan Industrial Relations Rules, 2026 (S.O. 41, dated 12-08-2026). Employers should refer to the original gazette notification for the authoritative version. For the Code on Wages (Rajasthan) Rules, 2026 — notified the same day — see our companion article. Track similar state rule notifications on our State Rules Tracker.