What Is the Works Committee?
According to the Industrial Disputes Act of India, every employer should form
a works committee if they have more than 100 employees in the organization.
The works committee members should be comprised of equal number of
workmen (employees) and individuals representing employers.
The employer should select the employees in consultation with the Union (if
already formed in the organization).
The Act stipulates:
In the case of any industrial establishment in which one hundred or more
workmen are employed or have been employed on any day in the preceding
twelve months, the appropriate Government may by general or special order
require the employer to constitute in the prescribed manner a Works
Committee consisting of representatives of employers and workmen engaged
in the establishment so however that the number of representatives of
workmen on the Committee shall not be less than the number of
representatives of the employer. The representatives of the workmen shall be
chosen in the prescribed manner from among the workmen engaged in the
establishment and in consultation with their trade union, if any, registered
under the Indian Trade Unions Act, 1926 (16 of 1926 ).
The Need for Works Committee Procedure
The need for the works committee procedure is to reduce the material
differences between both parties.
This committee looks after maintaining a healthy relationship between the
employer and the employees through the collective efforts of both parties. It
also aims at improving industrial peace and works on matters involving
general peace and work-related issues.
Features of Works Committee
In this section, we will discuss some of the common features of the works
committee procedure that will help you constitute a committee.
1. The number of members in the committee should be fixed and not more
than 20. Here, it is also specified that the members of employers should
not be more than members of employees.
2. The representatives from the employer’s side should be selected with
the consent of the employer and these people should be associated
with the organization directly.
3. Before the formation of the works committee, the employer should
inform the union if they have one. Further, during elections, two groups
should be formed: one of the union members who want to be a part of
the committee and other non-union members.
4. The candidates added to the committee should have worked with the
company for at least 1 year and should have attained a minimum age of
19 years.
5. The voters who are voting for committee members should be at least 18
years of age and must have worked in the company for atleast 6
months.
6. The Central Government or the equivalent authority holds the right to
dissolve this committee if they feel it is not constituted as per the
guidelines.
7. If you wish to understand the full works committee procedure, visit here.
Conclusion
The works committee is important in industrial organization. Hence, it should
be constituted with proper guidelines as laid out by the government.
