The Labour and Employment Department, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir on June 23, 2026, issued the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Relation Rules, 2026.
The rules come into force on July 02, 2026.
The following has been stated:
• The rules mandate the electronic setup of Bi-Partite Forums, requiring employers to form Works Committees of up to 20 members to balance management and worker representation, alongside Grievance Redressal Committees that strictly enforce proportional seats for women workers.
• For workplace negotiations, the framework stipulates that a single registered trade union must command a 51% majority on the muster roll to be recognized as the sole negotiating voice; otherwise, a multi-union negotiating council is established. Financial accountability for trade unions is streamlined by fixing a mandatory ₹100 admission fee and a minimum ₹30 monthly subscription, while enforcing clear separations between general operational funds and voluntary political funds.
• Operational transparency is further mandated through certified Standing Orders—which must be maintained in English as well as Hindi or Urdu—and strict notice protocols via specific statutory forms for any proposed changes to service conditions. When workplace disputes arise, the rules outline a strict timeline for voluntary arbitration and formal conciliation, giving parties a 90-day window to approach the newly defined Industrial Tribunal if initial settlement talks fail.
• Finally, the regulations protect worker welfare during downsizing by requiring employers to contribute an amount equal to 15 days of last-drawn wages to a government-managed Worker Re-skilling Fund for every retrenched employee, while offering a transparent, digitized system for compounding non-willful compliance offences before active legal prosecution begins.
[Notification no. – S.O. 179]
