Rule 20: Form of arbitration agreement and manner of signing by parties
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Rule 20 — Governs form of arbitration agreement and manner of signing by parties and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this rule. Key operative text: (1) The employer and workers may agree to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.
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 employer and workers may agree to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.
- (2) The arbitration agreement referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be signed by the parties to the said agreement and it shall be accompanied by the consent, either in writing or electronically, of arbitrator or arbitrators.
- (3) The arbitration agreement referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be signed, - (i) in case of an employer, by the employer himself, or when the employer is an incorporated company or other body corporate, by the agent, manager or other officer of the company or corporation authorised for such purpose;
Provisos / explanations
- Explanation.–- For the purposes of this rule, the term “officer”,– (a) in case of an association of the employers, means any officer of such association of the employers authorised for such purpose; and (b) in case of a registered Trade Union, means any of the following officers of such Trade Union authorised for such purpose, namely:– (i) the President;…
Thresholds & timelines
- No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this rule text.
Mapped Code sections
Full notified text — Rule 20
20. Form of arbitration agreement and manner of signing by parties –– (1) The employer and workers may agree
to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.
(2) The arbitration agreement referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be signed by the parties to the said agreement and it shall
be accompanied by the consent, either in writing or electronically, of arbitrator or arbitrators.
(3) The arbitration agreement referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be signed, -
(i) in case of an employer, by the employer himself, or when the employer is an incorporated company
or other body corporate, by the agent, manager or other officer of the company or corporation authorised for
such purpose;
(ii) in the case of workers, by the officer of the registered Trade Union authorised in this behalf or by five
representatives of the workers duly authorised in this behalf at a meeting of the concerned workers held for
such purpose; and
(iii) in the case of an individual worker, by such worker himself or by an officer of the registered Trade Union,
of which the worker is a member, or by another worker in the same establishment duly authorised by him in
this behalf.
Explanation.–- For the purposes of this rule, the term “officer”,–
(a) in case of an association of the employers, means any officer of such association of the employers
authorised for such purpose; and
(b) in case of a registered Trade Union, means any of the following officers of such Trade Union authorised
for such purpose, namely:–
(i) the President; or
(ii) the Vice-President; or
(iii) the Secretary (including the General Secretary); or
(iv) a Joint Secretary; or
(v) any other officer of such Trade Union authorised in this behalf by the President and Secretary of
such Trade Union.Application and evidence
- Primary statutory test — (1) The employer and workers may agree to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.
- Additional operative limb — (2) The arbitration agreement referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be signed by the parties to the said agreement and it shall be accompanied by the consent, either in writing or electronically, of arbitrator or arbitrators.
- Qualification / exception to test — Explanation.–- For the purposes of this rule, the term “officer”,– (a) in case of an association of the employers, means any officer of such association of the employers authorised for such purpose; and (b) in case of a registered Trade Union, means any of the following officers of such Trade Union authorised for such purpose, namely:– (i) the President;…
- Code Section mapping — 42. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
- Prescribed-form link recorded in the corpus — V. Confirm the current notified form/version before filing.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Worker, Trade union, Corporation / EPFO / Board.
Cross-references & prescribed forms
Sections cited/mapped
Forms
V
Worked example
Suppose an industrial establishment reaches a step governed by form of arbitration agreement and manner of signing by parties. 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 employer and workers may agree to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.” Also test the express qualification/proviso before concluding the result. Reconcile the mapped Code Section(s) 42. Use the current notified V where the process requires it.
Illustrative only. Use the exact notified rule, prescribed form and competent authority.
Q&A — Rule 20
What is Rule 20 of the Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026?
Rule 20 — Governs form of arbitration agreement and manner of signing by parties and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this rule. Key operative text: (1) The employer and workers may agree to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.
What does Rule 20 require or permit?
A principal operative clause extracted from the notified rule is: “(1) The employer and workers may agree to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.” Read it with all sub-rules and provisos below.
Does Rule 20 contain a proviso or explanation?
Yes. One extracted qualification is: “Explanation.–- For the purposes of this rule, the term “officer”,– (a) in case of an association of the employers, means any officer of such association of the employers authorised for such purpose; and (b) in case of a registered Trade Union, means any of the following officers of such Trade Union authorised for such purpose, namely:– (i) the President;…”
What deadline, period, percentage or amount appears in Rule 20?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this rule text.
Which Code sections are linked to Rule 20?
The current concordance maps Rule 20 to Section(s) 42.
Which form is connected with Rule 20?
The current corpus records: V. Confirm the current notified version before use.
When did Rule 20 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.