Section 94: Representation of parties
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 94 — Governs representation of parties and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) A worker who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding under this Code by— (a) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a registered Trade Union of which he is a member;
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) A worker who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding under this Code by— (a) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a registered Trade Union of which he is a member;
- (c) where the worker is not a member of any Trade Union, any member of the executive or other office-bearer of any Trade Union connected with, or by any other worker employed in the industry in which the worker is employed and authorised in such manner as may be prescribed.
- (2) An employer who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding under this Code by— (a) an officer of an association of employer of which he is a member;
- (c) where the employer is not a member of any association of employers, an officer of any association of employers connected with, or by any other employer engaged in, the industry in which the employer is engaged and authorised in such manner as may be prescribed.
- (3) No party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented by a legal practitioner in any conciliation proceedings under this Code or any proceedings before Tribunal or National Industrial Tribunal.
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
Employer, Worker, Trade union, Tribunal
Full statutory text — Section 94
94. Representation of parties.—(1) A worker who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be
represented in any proceeding under this Code by—
(a) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a registered Trade Union of which
he is a member;
(b) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a federation of Trade Unions to
which the Trade Union referred to in clause (a) is affiliated;
(c) where the worker is not a member of any Trade Union, any member of the executive or
other office-bearer of any Trade Union connected with, or by any other worker employed in the
industry in which the worker is employed and authorised in such manner as may be prescribed.
(2) An employer who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding
under this Code by—
(a) an officer of an association of employer of which he is a member;
(b) an officer of a federation of associations of employers to which the association referred
to in clause (a) is affiliated;
(c) where the employer is not a member of any association of employers, an officer of any
association of employers connected with, or by any other employer engaged in, the industry in
which the employer is engaged and authorised in such manner as may be prescribed.
(3) No party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented by a legal practitioner in any conciliation
proceedings under this Code or any proceedings before Tribunal or National Industrial Tribunal.
(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (3), in any proceeding before a Tribunal or
a National Industrial Tribunal, a party to a dispute may be represented by a legal practitioner with the
consent of the other parties to the proceeding and with the leave of the Tribunal or National Industrial
Tribunal, as the case may be.How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (1) A worker who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding under this Code by— (a) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a registered Trade Union of which he is a member;
- Additional operative limb — (c) where the worker is not a member of any Trade Union, any member of the executive or other office-bearer of any Trade Union connected with, or by any other worker employed in the industry in which the worker is employed and authorised in such manner as may be prescribed.
- Central Rule mapping — 41, 42, 43. 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, Worker, Trade union, Tribunal.
Rules, forms and cross-references
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
Suppose an industrial establishment reaches a step governed by representation of 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) A worker who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding under this Code by— (a) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a registered Trade Union of which he is a member;” Read the mapped Central Rule(s) 41, 42, 43.
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 94
What does Section 94 of the Industrial Relations Code cover?
Section 94 — Governs representation of parties and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) A worker who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding under this Code by— (a) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a registered Trade Union of which he is a member;
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 94?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) A worker who is a party to a dispute shall be entitled to be represented in any proceeding under this Code by— (a) any member of the executive or other office-bearer of a registered Trade Union of which he is a member;” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 94 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 94?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 94?
The current concordance maps Section 94 to Central Rule(s) 41, 42, 43.
Is Section 94 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.