Form of award, its communication and commencement

Section 55 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 deals with form of award, its communication and commencement. The award of--- (i) a Tribunal delivered by a bench consisting of a Judicial Member and an Administrative Member or a single Judicial Member or a single Administrative Member; The Act was enacted on 28 Sep 2020.

(1) The award of---

(i) a Tribunal delivered by a bench consisting of a Judicial Member and an Administrative Member or a single Judicial Member or a single Administrative Member; or

(ii) a National Industrial Tribunal,

shall be in writing and shall be signed electronically or otherwise, as the case may be, by both the Judicial Member and the Administrative Member or either by the Judicial Member or the Administrative Member by whom the award is delivered.

(2) Every arbitration award and every award of Tribunal or National Industrial Tribunal shall be communicated to the parties concerned and the appropriate Government.

(3) An award made under this Code shall become enforceable on the expiry of thirty days from the date of its communication under sub-section (2):

Provided that---

(a) if the appropriate Government is of the opinion in any case, where the award has been given by a Tribunal in relation to an industrial dispute to which it is a party; or

(b) if the Central Government is of opinion in any case, where the award has been given by a National Industrial Tribunal,

that it will be inexpedient on public grounds affecting national economy or social justice to give effect to the whole or any part of the award, the appropriate Government, or as the case may be, the Central Government may, by notification, declare that the award shall not become enforceable on the expiry of the said period of thirty days.

(4) Where any declaration has been made in relation to an award under the proviso to sub-section (3), the appropriate Government or the Central Government, as the case may be, may, within ninety days from the date of communication of the award under sub-section (2), make an order rejecting or modifying the award, and shall, on the first available opportunity, lay the award together with a copy of the order before the Legislature of the State, if the order has been made by a State Government, or before Parliament, if the order has been made by the Central Government.

(5) Where any award as rejected or modified by an order made under sub-section (4) is laid before the Legislature of a State or before Parliament, such award shall become enforceable on the expiry of fifteen days from the date on which it is so laid; and where no order under sub-section (4) is made in pursuance of a declaration under the proviso to sub-section (3), the award shall become enforceable on the expiry of the period of ninety days referred to in sub-section (4).

(6) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (3) and sub-section (5) regarding the enforceability of an award, the award shall come into operation with effect from such date as may be specified therein, but where no date is so specified, it shall come into operation on the date when the award becomes enforceable under sub-section (3) or sub-section (5), as the case may be.

Section 55, The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (Act 35 of 2020).