Section 18.Persons on whom settlements and awards are binding
104[(1) A settlement arrived at by agreement between the employer and workman otherwise than in the course of conciliation proceeding shall be binding on the parties to the agreement.
(2) 105[Subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), an arbitration award] which has become enforceable shall be binding on the parties to the agreement who referred the dispute to arbitration.]
106[(3)] A settlement arrived at in the course of conciliation proceedings under this Act 107[or an arbitration award in a case where a notification has been issued under sub-section (3A) of section 10A] or 108[an award 109[of a Labor Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal] which has become enforceable] shall be binding on-
(a) all parties to the industrial dispute;
(b) all other parties summoned to appear in the proceedings as parties to the dispute, unless the Board 107[arbitrator] 109[Labor Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal,] as the case may be, records the opinion that they were so summoned without proper cause;
(c) where a party referred to in clause (a) or clause (b) is an employer, his heirs, successors or assigns in respect of the establishment to which the dispute relates;
(d)where a party referred to in clause (a) or clause (b) is composed of workmen, all persons who were employed in the establishment or part of the establishment., as the case may be, to which the dispute relates on the date of the dispute and all persons who subsequently become employed in that establishment or part.
Section 19.Period of operation of settlements and awards
(1) A settlement 110[* * *] shall come into operation on such date as is agreed upon by the parties to the dispute, and if no date is agreed upon, on the date on which the memorandum of the settlement is signed by the parties to the dispute.
(2) Such settlement shall be binding for such period as is agreed upon by the parties, and if no such period is agreed upon, for a period of six months 104[from the date on which the memorandum of settlement is signed by the parties to the dispute], and shall continue to be binding on the parties after the expiry of the period aforesaid, until the expiry of two months from the date on which a notice in writing of an intention to terminate the settlement is given by one of the parties to the other party or parties to the settlement.
111[(3) An award shall, subject to the provisions of this section, remain in operation for a period of one year 112[from the date on which the award becomes enforceable under section 17A]:
PROVIDED that the appropriate government may reduce the said period and fix such period as it thinks fit:
PROVIDED FURTHER that the appropriate government, may, before expiry of the said period, extend the period of operation by any period not exceeding one year at a time as it thinks fit so, however, that the total period of operation of any award does not exceed three years from the date on which it came into operation.
(4) Where the appropriate government, whether of its own motion or on the application of any party bound by the award, considers that since the award was made, there has been a material change in the circumstances on which it was based, the appropriate government may refer the award or part of it 113[to a Labor Court, if the award was that of a Labor Court or to a Tribunal, if the award was that of a Tribunal or of a National Tribunal], for decision whether the period of operation should not, by reason of such change, be shortened and the decision of 114[Labor Court or the Tribunal, as the case may be] on such reference shall 115[* * *] be final.
(5) Nothing contained in sub-section (3) shall apply to any award which by its nature, terms or other circumstances does not impose, after it has been given effect to, any continuing obligation on the parties bound by the award.
(6) Notwithstanding the expiry of the period of operation under sub-section (3), the award shall continue to be binding on the parties until a period of two months has elapsed from the date on which notice is given by any party bound by the award to the other party or parties intimating its intention to terminate the award.
116[(7) No notice given under sub-section (2) or sub-section (6) shall have effect, unless it is given by a party representing the majority of persons bound by the settlement or award, as the case may be.]
Section 20. Commencement and conclusion of proceedings
(1) A conciliation proceeding shall be deemed to have commenced on the date on which a notice of strike or lock-out under section 22 is received by the conciliation officer or on the date of the order referring the dispute to a Board, as the case may be.
(2) A conciliation proceeding shall be deemed to have concluded-
(a) where a settlement is arrived at, when a memorandum of the settlement is signed by the parties to the dispute;
(b) where no settlement is arrived at, when the report of the conciliation officer is received by the appropriate government or when the report of the Board is published under section 17, as the case may be; or
(c) when a reference is made to a court, 117[ Labor Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal] under section 10 during the pendency of conciliation proceedings.
(3) Proceedings 118[ before an arbitrator under section 10A or before a Labor Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal] shall be deemed to have commenced on the date of the 119[reference of the dispute for arbitration or adjudication, as the case maybe,] and such proceedings shall be deemed to have concluded 120[on the date on which the award becomes enforceable under section 17A.]
Section 21. Certain matters to be kept confidential
There shall not be included in any report or award under this Act, any information obtained by a Conciliation Officer, Board, court, 117[Labor Court, Tribunal, National Tribunal or an arbitrator], in the course of any investigation or inquiry as to a trade union or as to any individual business (whether carried on by a person, firm or company) which is not available otherwise than through the evidence given before such officer, Board, court, 117[ Labor Court, Tribunal, National Tribunal or arbitrator], if the trade union, person, firm or company, in question has made a request in writing to the conciliation officer, Board, court 117[Labor Court, Tribunal ,National Tribunal or arbitrator], as the case may be, that such information shall be treated as confidential; nor shall such conciliation officer or any individual member of the Board, 121[or court or the presiding officer of the Labor Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal or the arbitrator] or any person present at or concerned in the proceedings disclose any such information without the consent in writing of the secretary of the trade union or the person, firm or company in question, as the case may be:
PROVIDED that nothing contained in this section shall apply to a disclosure of any such information for the purposes of a prosecution under section 193 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
Section 22. Prohibition of strikes and Lockouts
(1) No person employed in a public utility service shall go on strike in breach of contract-
(a) without giving to the employer notice of strike, as hereinafter provided, within six weeks before striking; or
(b) within fourteen days of giving such notice; or
(c) before the expiry of the date of strike specified in any such notice as aforesaid; or
(d) during the pendency of any conciliation proceedings before a conciliation officer and seven days after the conclusion of such proceedings.
(2) No employer carrying on any public utility service shall lock-out any of his workmen-
(a) without giving them notice of lock-out as hereinafter provided, within six weeks before locking-out; or
(b) within fourteen days of giving such notice; or
(c) before the. expiry of the date of lock-out specified in any such notice as aforesaid. or
(d) during the pendency of any conciliation proceedings before a conciliation officer and seven days after the conclusion of such proceedings.
(3) The notice of lock-out or strike under this section shall not be necessary where there is already in existence a strike or, as the case may be, lock-out in the public utility service, but the employer shall send intimation of such lock-out or strike on the day on which it is declared, to such authority as may be specified by the appropriate government either generally or for a particular area or for a particular class of public utility services.
(4) The notice of strike referred to in sub-section(l) shall be given by such number of persons to such person or persons and in such manner as maybe prescribed.
(5) The notice of lock-out referred to in sub-section (2) shall be given in such manner as may be prescribed.
(6) If on any day an employer receives from any person employed by him any such notices as are referred to in sub-section (1) or gives to any person employed by him any such notices as are referred to in sub-section (2), he shall within five days thereof report to the appropriate government or to such authority as that government may prescribe, the number of such notices received or given on that day.
Section 23. General prohibition of strikes and Lockouts
No workman who is employed in any industrial establishment shall go on strike in breach of contract and no employer of any such workman shall declare a lock-out-
(a) during the pendency of conciliation proceedings before a Board and seven days after the conclusion of such proceedings;
(b) during the pendency of proceedings before 122[a Labor Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal] and two months, after the conclusion of such proceedings; 123[* * *]
107[(bb) during the pendency of arbitration proceedings before an arbitrator and two months after the conclusion of such proceedings, where a notification has been issued under sub-section (3A) of section l0A; or]
(c) during any period in which a settlement or award is in operation, in respect of any of the matters covered by the settlement or award.
Section 24. Il-legal strikes and Lockouts
(1) A strike or lock-out shall be illegal if-
(i) it is commenced or declared in contravention of section 22 or section 23; or
(ii) it is continued in contravention of an order made under sub-section (3) of section 10 107[or sub-section (4A) of Section 10A].
(2) Where a strike or lock-out in pursuance of an industrial dispute has already commenced and is in existence at the time of the reference of the dispute to a Board, 107[an arbitrator, a]117[Labor Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal], the continuance of such strike or lock-out shall not be deemed to be illegal, provided that such strike or lock out was not at its commencement in contravention of the provisions of this Act or the continuance thereof was not prohibited under sub-section(3) of section 10 107[or sub-section (4A) of section 10A].
(3) A lock-out declared in consequence of an illegal strike or a strike declared in consequence of an illegal lock-out shall not be deemed to be illegal.