Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946
3. Submission of draft standing orders
(1) Within six months from the date on which this Act becomes
applicable to an industrial establishment, the employer shall submit to the
Certifying Officer five copies of the draft standing orders proposed by him for
adoption in his industrial establishment.
(2) Provision shall be made in such draft for every matter set
out in the Schedule which may be applicable to the industrial establishment,
and where model standing orders have been prescribed, shall be, so far as is
practicable, in conformity with such model.
(3) The draft standing orders submitted under this section shall
be accompanied by a statement giving prescribed particulars of the workmen
employed in the industrial establishment including the name of the trade union,
if any, to which they belong.
(4) Subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, a group of
employers in similar industrial establishments may submit a joint draft of
standing orders under this section.
Comment: The Act does not say that on such
certification, the Standing Orders acquire statutory effect or become part of
the statute. It can certainly not be suggested that by virtue of certification,
they get metamorphosed into delegated/subordinate legislation. Though these
Standing Orders are undoubtedly binding upon both the employer and the
employees and constitute the conditions of service of the employees, it appears
difficult to say, on principle, that they have statutory force. The Rajasthan
State Road Transport Corporation and another etc. etc., Appellants v. Krishna Kant.,
AIR 1995 SUPREME COURT 1715