Rule 3: References of certain authorities and officers of industrial establishments under the Code
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Rule 3 — Governs references of certain authorities and officers of industrial establishments under the code and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this rule. Key operative text: (1) The reference to the Central Government or the Government of India, in relation to an industrial dispute in respect of a Union territory without legislature, shall be construed as a reference to the Administrator of such…
Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 were finally notified under G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026. The Central Rules must be read with the Code and any later amendment/corrigendum.
Finin2min analysis — operative rule mechanics
Operative clauses
- (1) The reference to the Central Government or the Government of India, in relation to an industrial dispute in respect of a Union territory without legislature, shall be construed as a reference to the Administrator of such Union territory, for which the appropriate Government is the Central Government; and the reference to the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central),…
- (2) For the purposes of these rules, with reference to clause (m) of section 2 of the Code, it is hereby specified that— (a) in relation to an industry, not being an industry referred to in sub clause (ii) thereof, carried on by or under the authority of a Ministry or Department of the Central Government or a State Government, the officer-in- charge of the industrial establishment shall be the employer in respect…
- (ii) the Officer-in-charge of the establishment shall be the employer in respect of regular railway servants other than casual labour in the case of an establishment independent of a Zonal Railway; and (iii) the District Officer-in-charge or the Divisional Personnel Officer or the Personnel Officer, as the case may be, shall be the employer in respect of casual labour employed on Zonal Railway or any other…
Provisos / explanations
- No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this rule.
Thresholds & timelines
- No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this rule text.
Mapped Code sections
Full notified text — Rule 3
3. References of certain authorities and officers of industrial establishments under the Code.– (1) The reference
to the Central Government or the Government of India, in relation to an industrial dispute in respect of a Union territory
without legislature, shall be construed as a reference to the Administrator of such Union territory, for which the
appropriate Government is the Central Government; and the reference to the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central),
Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Regional Labour Commissioner (Central) and the Assistant Labour
Commissioner (Central) shall be construed as reference to the respective appropriate authority, appointed in that behalf
by the Administrator of that Union territory.
(2) For the purposes of these rules, with reference to clause (m) of section 2 of the Code, it is hereby specified that—
(a) in relation to an industry, not being an industry referred to in sub clause (ii) thereof, carried on by or under
the authority of a Ministry or Department of the Central Government or a State Government, the officer-in-
charge of the industrial establishment shall be the employer in respect of that establishment; and
(b) in relation to an industry concerning railways, carried on by or under the authority of a Ministry or
Department of the Central Government,—
(i) the General Manager thereof shall be the employer in respect of regular railway servants other than
casual labour in the case of an establishment of a Zonal Railway;
(ii) the Officer-in-charge of the establishment shall be the employer in respect of regular railway
servants other than casual labour in the case of an establishment independent of a Zonal Railway; and
(iii) the District Officer-in-charge or the Divisional Personnel Officer or the Personnel Officer, as the
case may be, shall be the employer in respect of casual labour employed on Zonal Railway or any other
railway establishment independent of a Zonal Railway.Application and evidence
- Primary statutory test — (1) The reference to the Central Government or the Government of India, in relation to an industrial dispute in respect of a Union territory without legislature, shall be construed as a reference to the Administrator of such Union territory, for which the appropriate Government is the Central Government; and the reference to the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central),…
- Additional operative limb — (2) For the purposes of these rules, with reference to clause (m) of section 2 of the Code, it is hereby specified that— (a) in relation to an industry, not being an industry referred to in sub clause (ii) thereof, carried on by or under the authority of a Ministry or Department of the Central Government or a State Government, the officer-in- charge of the industrial establishment shall be the employer in respect…
- Code Section mapping — 2. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Appropriate Government, Central Government, State Government, Authority / officer.
Cross-references & prescribed forms
Sections cited/mapped
Forms
No form is directly mapped in the current rule register.
Worked example
Suppose an industrial establishment reaches a step governed by references of certain authorities and officers of industrial establishments under the code. HR/IR should create a dated file showing coverage, the competent authority/union status, required notice or application, service proof and the result. One operative text point to test is: “(1) The reference to the Central Government or the Government of India, in relation to an industrial dispute in respect of a Union territory without legislature, shall be construed as a reference to the Administrator of such Union territory, for which the appropriate Government i” Reconcile the mapped Code Section(s) 2.
Illustrative only. Use the exact notified rule, prescribed form and competent authority.
Q&A — Rule 3
What is Rule 3 of the Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026?
Rule 3 — Governs references of certain authorities and officers of industrial establishments under the code and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this rule. Key operative text: (1) The reference to the Central Government or the Government of India, in relation to an industrial dispute in respect of a Union territory without legislature, shall be construed as a reference to the Administrator of such…
What does Rule 3 require or permit?
A principal operative clause extracted from the notified rule is: “(1) The reference to the Central Government or the Government of India, in relation to an industrial dispute in respect of a Union territory without legislature, shall be construed as a reference to the Administrator of such Union territory, for which the appropriate Government is the Central Government; and the reference to the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central),…” Read it with all sub-rules and provisos below.
Does Rule 3 contain a proviso or explanation?
No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this rule text. Check the complete rule below for clause-level conditions.
What deadline, period, percentage or amount appears in Rule 3?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this rule text.
Which Code sections are linked to Rule 3?
The current concordance maps Rule 3 to Section(s) 2.
When did Rule 3 come into force?
The final Central Rules were notified as G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026; Rule 1 states that the Rules come into force on publication. Check any later amendment or corrigendum before reliance.
Primary sources
Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 — official Gazette PDF ↗
Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — India Code ↗
Source check: 20 August 2026.