Employee Grievance Redressal and Discipline

Meaning: A state or feeling of discontent — whether expressed or not.; Status: Internal, often unspoken

Meaning: Dissatisfaction made known by one employee to another (peer-to-peer).; Status: Verbalised but informal

Meaning: Dissatisfaction related to the work situation brought to the notice of management.; Status: Formal, demands redressal

is a formal, time-bound problem-solving framework — usually negotiated between management and the recognised union — that lets parties resolve their differences peacefully and expeditiously.

Milestone: Paragraph 517 of the Sastry Award; What It Did: Provided the first formal grievance procedure — an aggrieved employee could submit a complaint to the manager; investigation had to involve the employee or union representative.

Milestone: Code of Discipline (15th–16th Indian Labour Conference); What It Did: Voluntary moral code adopted in March 1958 at the 16th ILC, operative from 1 June 1958. Recommended the Model Grievance Procedure for all establishments.

Milestone: Section 9C, Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Act; What It Did: Required employers of 50 or more workmen to set up Grievance Settlement Authorities — never brought into force.

Milestone: Section 4, Industrial Relations Code, 2020; What It Did: Mandates Grievance Redressal Committees in every establishment with 20 or more workers. Replaces the old Sec. 9C regime. Came into force 21 November 2025.