Labour Hub › Industrial Relations Code › Sections › Section 15

Industrial Relations Code, 2020 · CHAPTER III — TRADE UNIONS

Section 15: Objects of general fund, composition of separate fund and membership fee of Trade Union

Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026

Section 15 — Governs objects of general fund, composition of separate fund and membership fee of trade union and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) The general funds of a registered Trade Union shall not be spent on any objects other than such objects as may be prescribed.

Full official textSource checked: 20 August 20260 direct Central Rule link(s)

Current-law status

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.

Primary sources

Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗

Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does

Operative clauses

(1) The general funds of a registered Trade Union shall not be spent on any objects other than such objects as may be prescribed.
(2) A registered Trade Union may constitute a separate fund, from contributions separately levied for or made to that fund, from which payments may be made, for the promotion of the civic and political interests of its members, in furtherance of such objects as may be prescribed.
(3) No member shall be compelled to contribute to the fund constituted under sub-section (2) and a member who does not contribute to the said fund shall not be excluded from any benefits of the Trade Union, or placed in any respect either directly or indirectly under any disability or at any disadvantage as compared with other members of the Trade Union (except in relation to the control or management of the said…
(4) The subscriptions payable by the members of the Trade Union shall be such as may be prescribed.

Provisos, explanations & qualifications

No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.

Thresholds and timelines in the text

No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this section text.

Actors expressly appearing in the text

Trade union

Full statutory text — Section 15

Official English text transcribed from the current India Code consolidation; page headers/line breaks are normalised for web reading. The Gazette/India Code PDF remains authoritative for typography, amendment footnotes and schedules.

15. Objects of general fund, composition of separate fund and membership fee of Trade
Union.—(1) The general funds of a registered Trade Union shall not be spent on any objects other than
such objects as may be prescribed.
    (2) A registered Trade Union may constitute a separate fund, from contributions separately levied
for or made to that fund, from which payments may be made, for the promotion of the civic and political
interests of its members, in furtherance of such objects as may be prescribed.
  (3) No member shall be compelled to contribute to the fund constituted under sub-section (2) and a
member who does not contribute to the said fund shall not be excluded from any benefits of the Trade
Union, or placed in any respect either directly or indirectly under any disability or at any disadvantage

as compared with other members of the Trade Union (except in relation to the control or management
of the said fund) by reason of his not contributing to the said fund; and contribution to the said fund
shall not be made a condition for admission to the Trade Union.
   (4) The subscriptions payable by the members of the Trade Union shall be such as may be prescribed.

How to apply this provision

Primary statutory test — (1) The general funds of a registered Trade Union shall not be spent on any objects other than such objects as may be prescribed.
Additional operative limb — (2) A registered Trade Union may constitute a separate fund, from contributions separately levied for or made to that fund, from which payments may be made, for the promotion of the civic and political interests of its members, in furtherance of such objects as may be prescribed.
Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Trade union.

Why this is section-specific: the operative-clause, exception, threshold and cross-reference panels above are extracted from Section 15 itself rather than a generic “trigger/control/evidence” template.

Rules, forms and cross-references

Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Forms mapped

No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.

Other sections cited in this text

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Related Labour Hub resources

Model Standing Orders, 2026 Labour litigation

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

Suppose an industrial establishment reaches a step governed by objects of general fund, composition of separate fund and membership fee of trade union. 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 general funds of a registered Trade Union shall not be spent on any objects other than such objects as may be prescribed.”

Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.

Q&A — Section 15

What does Section 15 of the Industrial Relations Code cover?

What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 15?

The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) The general funds of a registered Trade Union shall not be spent on any objects other than such objects as may be prescribed.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.

Does Section 15 contain a proviso or explanation?

No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this section text. Check the full text below for clause-level qualifications.

What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 15?

No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.

Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 15?

No direct Central Rule is recorded in the current concordance. That does not exclude a relevant scheme, notification, State rule or enabling provision.

Is Section 15 currently operative?

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.

Source & verification trail

Act: Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗

Central Rules: Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026 ↗

Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗

Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.

Reliance note: This page is an educational legal-reference layer. Verify the current official text, the applicable Central/State rules, notifications, schemes and judicial decisions before acting on a live matter.