Standing orders
Topic: Employment, Unemployment and Informalisation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Standing orders are written rules on the terms of employment in an establishment. They cover how workers are classified (for example, permanent or temporary), working hours, leave and discipline. Because everyone knows the rules in advance, disputes and arbitrary treatment are reduced. Under the Industrial Relations Code, the threshold for requiring standing orders rose from 100 to 300 workers.
Example
A factory with 400 workers must have standing orders that set out its shift timings, leave rules and disciplinary procedure. A unit with 200 workers is no longer required to have them under the Code.
Don't confuse with
- Appointment letter: this sets the terms for one worker. Standing orders apply to all workers in the establishment.
Related concepts
- Labour laws
- Tripartism
- Floor wage
- Fair wage
- Living wage
- Need-based minimum wage
- Lay-off
- Retrenchment
- Hire and fire
- Fixed-term employment