Section 22: Adjudication of disputes of Trade Unions
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 22 — Governs adjudication of disputes of trade unions and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) Where a dispute arises between— (a) one Trade Union and another; or (b) one or more workers who are members of the Trade Union and the Trade Union regarding registration, administration or management or election of…
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.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- (1) Where a dispute arises between— (a) one Trade Union and another; or (b) one or more workers who are members of the Trade Union and the Trade Union regarding registration, administration or management or election of office-bearers of the Trade Union; or (c) one or more workers who are refused admission as members and the Trade Union; or (d) where a dispute is in respect of a Trade Union which is a federation…
- (2) No civil court other than the Tribunal shall have power to entertain any suit or other proceedings in relation to any dispute referred to in sub-section (1).
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
Worker, Trade union, Tribunal
Full statutory text — Section 22
22. Adjudication of disputes of Trade Unions.—(1) Where a dispute arises between—
(a) one Trade Union and another; or
(b) one or more workers who are members of the Trade Union and the Trade Union regarding
registration, administration or management or election of office-bearers of the Trade Union; or
(c) one or more workers who are refused admission as members and the Trade Union; or
(d) where a dispute is in respect of a Trade Union which is a federation of Trade Unions and
office-bearer authorised in this behalf by the Trade Union,
an application may be made in such manner as may be prescribed to the Tribunal having jurisdiction
over the area where the registered office of the Trade Union or Trade Unions is located for adjudication
of such disputes.
(2) No civil court other than the Tribunal shall have power to entertain any suit or other proceedings
in relation to any dispute referred to in sub-section (1).How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (1) Where a dispute arises between— (a) one Trade Union and another; or (b) one or more workers who are members of the Trade Union and the Trade Union regarding registration, administration or management or election of office-bearers of the Trade Union; or (c) one or more workers who are refused admission as members and the Trade Union; or (d) where a dispute is in respect of a Trade Union which is a federation…
- Additional operative limb — (2) No civil court other than the Tribunal shall have power to entertain any suit or other proceedings in relation to any dispute referred to in sub-section (1).
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Worker, Trade union, Tribunal.
Rules, forms and cross-references
Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping
Forms mapped
No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.
Other sections cited in this text
Related Labour Hub resources
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
When an event triggers adjudication of disputes of trade unions, record the trigger date, competent authority, prescribed rule/form, filing or decision step, service/acknowledgement and final outcome. A statutory point to test is: “(1) Where a dispute arises between— (a) one Trade Union and another; or (b) one or more workers who are members of the Trade Union and the Trade Union regarding registration, administration or management or election of office-bearers of the Trade Union; or (c) one or more workers”
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 22
What does Section 22 of the Industrial Relations Code cover?
Section 22 — Governs adjudication of disputes of trade unions and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) Where a dispute arises between— (a) one Trade Union and another; or (b) one or more workers who are members of the Trade Union and the Trade Union regarding registration, administration or management or election of…
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 22?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) Where a dispute arises between— (a) one Trade Union and another; or (b) one or more workers who are members of the Trade Union and the Trade Union regarding registration, administration or management or election of office-bearers of the Trade Union; or (c) one or more workers who are refused admission as members and the Trade Union; or (d) where a dispute is in respect of a Trade Union which is a federation…” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 22 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 22?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 22?
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 22 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.