What is Standing orders?

Definition

Standing orders are the certified conditions of employment for an industrial establishment covered by the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946, and where they apply they override conflicting terms in an individual appointment letter.

How it works

They cover classification of workers, shift working, attendance and late coming, leave, misconduct and the disciplinary procedure. Their significance is procedural as much as substantive: where they apply, the disciplinary process they prescribe is the one that must be followed.

What it means in India

The Act applies to industrial establishments meeting its coverage conditions, and the orders are certified by the prescribed authority rather than simply written by the employer. Dismissal for misconduct without the charge sheet, opportunity to explain and enquiry that certified standing orders require is the most common reason an Indian industrial tribunal sets a dismissal aside.

What people get wrong

• Writing an appointment letter clause that conflicts with certified standing orders and assuming the letter governs. It does not.
• Running a disciplinary process without the enquiry the standing orders prescribe.

Terms this one depends on

More on employment and exit

Where this shows up in practice

Almost everything on this page ends up as a line on a payslip or a figure in a register. Shiftelio keeps attendance, leave, salary structure and the statutory deductions in one place, so the number in the letter and the number in the payslip come from the same record.