Section 4: Grievance Redressal Committee

Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does

Full statutory text — Section 4

4. Grievance Redressal Committee.—(1) Every industrial establishment employing twenty or
more workers shall have one or more Grievance Redressal Committees for resolution of disputes arising
out of individual grievances.
  (2) The Grievance Redressal Committee shall consist of equal number of members representing the
employer and the workers to be chosen in such manner as may be prescribed.
   (3) The chairperson of the Grievance Redressal Committee shall be selected from among persons
representing the employer and the workers alternatively on rotational basis every year.
   (4) The total number of members of the Grievance Redressal Committee shall not exceed ten:
  Provided that there shall be adequate representation of women workers in the Grievance Redressal
Committee and such representation shall not be less than the proportion of women workers to the total
workers employed in the industrial establishment.
   (5) An application in respect of any dispute referred to in sub-section (1) may be filed before the
Grievance Redressal Committee by any aggrieved worker in such manner as may be prescribed within
one year from the date on which the cause of action of such dispute arises.
    (6) The Grievance Redressal Committee may complete its proceedings within thirty days of receipt
of the application under sub-section (5).
   (7) The decision of the Grievance Redressal Committee on any application filed under
sub-section (5) shall be made on the basis of majority view of the Committee, provided more than half
of the members representing the workers have agreed to such decision, otherwise it shall be deemed
that no decision could be arrived at by the Committee.
   (8) The worker who is aggrieved by the decision of the Grievance Redressal Committee or whose
grievance is not resolved in the said Committee within the period specified in sub-section (6), may,
within a period of sixty days from the date of the decision of the Grievance Redressal Committee or

from the date on which the period specified in sub-section (6) expires, as the case may be, file an
application for the conciliation of such grievance to the conciliation officer through the Trade Union,
of which he is a member, in such manner as may be prescribed.
   (9) Where any employer discharges, dismisses, retrenches, or otherwise terminates the services of
an individual worker, any dispute or difference between that worker and his employer connected with,
or arising out of, such discharge, dismissal, retrenchment or termination shall be deemed to be an
industrial dispute notwithstanding that no other worker nor any Trade Union is a party to the dispute.
    (10) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section or section 53, any worker as is specified in
sub-section (5) may, make an application directly to the Tribunal for adjudication of the dispute referred
to therein after the expiry of forty-five days from the date he has made the application to the conciliation
officer of the appropriate Government for conciliation of the dispute, and on receipt of such application
the Tribunal shall have powers and jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the dispute, as the Tribunal has in
respect of the application filed under sub-section (6) of section 53.
    (11) The application referred to in sub-section (10) shall be made to the Tribunal before the expiry
of two years from the date of discharge, dismissal, retrenchment or otherwise termination of service as
specified in sub-section (9).
                                             CHAPTER III
                                             TRADE UNIONS

How to apply this provision

1. Primary statutory test — (1) Every industrial establishment employing twenty or more workers shall have one or more Grievance Redressal Committees for resolution of disputes arising out of individual grievances.
2. Additional operative limb — (2) The Grievance Redressal Committee shall consist of equal number of members representing the employer and the workers to be chosen in such manner as may be prescribed.
3. Qualification / exception to test — Provided that there shall be adequate representation of women workers in the Grievance Redressal Committee and such representation shall not be less than the proportion of women workers to the total workers employed in the industrial establishment.
4. Numerical or timing control — (3) The chairperson of the Grievance Redressal Committee shall be selected from among persons representing the employer and the workers alternatively on rotational basis every year.
5. Central Rule mapping — 6, 7, 8. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
6. Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Worker, Appropriate Government, Trade union, Tribunal.

Rules, forms and cross-references

A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.

Worked example

Q&A — Section 4

Source & verification trail