Section 55 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 55 says how an award must be made and signed, that it must be communicated to the parties and the appropriate Government, and when it becomes enforceable and comes into operation. The default is thirty days from communication, but the Government can stop that clock on public grounds.
An award must be in writing and signed, electronically or otherwise, by the member or members who deliver it (s.55(1)). It is communicated to the parties and the appropriate Government (s.55(2)) and becomes enforceable on expiry of thirty days from communication (s.55(3)). The Government may, by notification, declare that it will not become enforceable on that date where giving effect would be inexpedient on public grounds affecting national economy or social justice. It may then reject or modify the award within ninety days (s.55(4)).
Section 55 at a glance
| Sub-section | Subject |
|---|---|
| 55(1) | Award in writing, signed by the delivering member(s) |
| 55(2) | Communication to parties and appropriate Government |
| 55(3) | Enforceable thirty days after communication; proviso on public grounds |
| 55(4) | Rejection or modification within ninety days; laying before Legislature or Parliament |
| 55(5) | Enforceability after rejection or modification, or after no order |
| 55(6) | Date of operation |
Form and signing: s.55(1)
The award of (i) a Tribunal delivered by a bench of a Judicial and an Administrative Member, or by a single Judicial Member or a single Administrative Member, or (ii) a National Industrial Tribunal, must be "in writing" and "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".
Two points are worth noting. The Code expressly allows electronic signing. And the signing follows who delivers the award: both members if a two-member bench delivers it, or the single member who does. How an award is decided is in s.47 (see sections 47 and 48).
Communication: s.55(2)
"Every arbitration award and every award of Tribunal or National Industrial Tribunal shall be communicated to the parties concerned and the appropriate Government." The date of communication matters because the thirty days in s.55(3) run from it. Arbitration awards (see the Code's provisions on voluntary arbitration in s.42) are included in this sub-section.
Enforceability: s.55(3) to (5)
The general rule: "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)". The proviso creates an exception. If:
- (a) the appropriate Government is of opinion, where an award has been given by a Tribunal in a dispute to which the Government is a party; or
- (b) the Central Government is of opinion, where an award has been given by a National Industrial Tribunal,
that it would be "inexpedient on public grounds affecting national economy or social justice to give effect to the whole or any part of the award", it may by notification declare that the award shall not become enforceable on the expiry of the thirty days.
| Stage | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Award communicated | Clock starts | Day 0 |
| No declaration | Award enforceable | On expiry of 30 days |
| Declaration made | Award not enforceable on day 30 | By notification |
| After declaration | Government may reject or modify the award | Within 90 days of communication (s.55(4)) |
| Order made and laid | Award as rejected or modified enforceable | 15 days from the date it is laid before the Legislature or Parliament (s.55(5)) |
| Declaration but no order | Award enforceable | On expiry of the 90 days (s.55(5)) |
When an order rejecting or modifying is made under s.55(4), the Government must "on the first available opportunity" lay the award with a copy of the order before the Legislature of the State, if a State Government made the order, or before Parliament, if the Central Government did.
Example (invented). A Tribunal gives an award in a dispute to which the State Government is itself a party. The award is communicated on a given day. On day 25 the State Government notifies that the award shall not become enforceable on day 30 on public grounds. It has until day 90 to reject or modify. If it makes no order, the award becomes enforceable when the ninety days expire. If it modifies the award and lays it before the Legislature, the modified award becomes enforceable fifteen days after it is laid.
Note what the text does not say: the declaration power is tied to the two situations in the proviso, namely a Tribunal award in a dispute to which the appropriate Government is a party and a National Industrial Tribunal award. The text gives no such power in other Tribunal disputes.
Date of operation: s.55(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."
So an award may specify its own start date, for example for arrears, but it still cannot be enforced before it becomes enforceable. If no date is specified, operation begins when it becomes enforceable. This date also fixes the start of the award's period of operation under s.58(3) (see section 58), which runs from the date the award "becomes enforceable under section 55".
Payroll and HR teams should record three dates for every award: the date of communication, the date of enforceability and the date of operation, because wages, arrears and compliance dates depend on them. Our legal dispute resolution team can help you read an award and set the dates.
The Central Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026), in the text reviewed, do not add a separate rule on the form or enforceability of awards. They apply to Central-sphere establishments; where the State Government is the appropriate Government, State rules apply.
Need help with an award you have received?
An award raises immediate questions about dates, enforceability and compliance. Our legal dispute resolution team can help you read the award, track the thirty and ninety-day windows and plan implementation or challenge.
Key takeaways
- An award must be in writing and signed, electronically or otherwise, by the delivering member(s) (s.55(1)).
- It is communicated to the parties and the appropriate Government (s.55(2)).
- It becomes enforceable thirty days after communication unless the Government declares otherwise on public grounds (s.55(3)).
- After such a declaration, the Government has ninety days to reject or modify (s.55(4)); a modified award becomes enforceable fifteen days after it is laid (s.55(5)).
- The award operates from the date it specifies, or else from the date it becomes enforceable (s.55(6)).
Read next
- Section 47-48: decision of Tribunal and disqualifications of members
- Section 56-57: wages pending proceedings and persons bound by settlements and awards
- Section 58: period of operation of settlements and awards
- Industrial disputes under the new labour codes
Disclaimer: Based on the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (as enacted) and, where noted, the Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026), as on 30 September 2026. The Code is in force from 21 November 2025; some provisions may be notified later, and State Governments make their own rules for establishments where the State is the appropriate Government. Verify the current position before acting.