In brief
Employment problems become cases when the contract, the wage, or the termination was never put on a lawful footing. We advise employers and we appear in the disputes that follow, from a handbook to a labour court.
Discuss this matter
The contract
Employment terms, handbooks, and policies a court can read.
The workplace
Wages, benefits, safety, harassment, and discrimination.
The exit
Termination, redundancy, and disputes before the labour forums.
The brief
What clients ask us
Choose a question. The answer sets out the work we actually take in this practice, in plain language.
Answer
A dispute about termination is often a dispute about a contract that did not say what the company thought it said. The same is true of a handbook nobody has matched to the statute.
- Employment contracts, drafted and reviewed
- Policies and employee handbooks aligned with the legislation
- Rules on discrimination and harassment, written so they can be used
Will you put contracts and workplace rules in order?
Answer
A dispute about termination is often a dispute about a contract that did not say what the company thought it said. The same is true of a handbook nobody has matched to the statute.
- Employment contracts, drafted and reviewed
- Policies and employee handbooks aligned with the legislation
- Rules on discrimination and harassment, written so they can be used
What wage, benefit, and safety questions do you cover?
Answer
Wage law, benefits, and safety are compliance work until the day an inspector or a workman makes them a case. We advise on both sides of that line.
- Wages and hours under Indian labour law
- Benefits and compensation
- Occupational safety and the duties around it
How do you handle termination and redundancy?
Answer
Indian law does not treat the end of employment as a letter and a cheque. Retrenchment, dismissal, and the enquiry that should have come first each have a procedure.
- Termination and redundancy, done so the procedure can be defended
- Advice before the letter is issued
- The enquiry and the papers that must exist if the dismissal is later challenged
Will you appear in a labour dispute?
Answer
Yes. Conciliation is often compulsory before a court will look at the dispute. We treat that as part of the case, not as a formality.
- Labour disputes and litigation
- Conciliation
- Forums across India where the establishment's dispute is listed
Do you advise on unions and contract labour?
Answer
A union negotiation and a contract-labour arrangement are two places where an employer can create a liability without noticing. Both need a view of the statute before the next meeting.
- Negotiations with trade unions
- Collective bargaining agreements
- Engaging contract labour, and the compliance that engagement requires
- Counsel on employee relations more widely
The path
How a matter moves
01
The relationship
Employee, workman, or contractor: the label in the letter is checked against the work actually done.
02
The rule that applies
Wages, termination, or safety are matched to the enactment that governs that establishment.
03
The step you are about to take
A dismissal, a settlement, or a policy is reviewed before it is issued.
04
The forum
If a dispute is already filed, we appear in conciliation and, after that, in court.
Before you instruct us
Questions on this practice
Do you act for employers, employees, or both?
The advisory work on contracts, wages, and compliance is typically for the establishment. In a filed dispute we appear for the party who instructs us, and we will say if the other side is already a client.
Can a termination letter be sent this week?
Sometimes. If an enquiry was required and was not held, the letter will be the exhibit in the case against you. Ask before it goes.
We use contractors on the shop floor. Is that a risk?
It is a risk when the arrangement is a device to avoid the obligations of an employer. We review the contract, the supervision, and the registers together.
A union has raised a charter of demands. What should we not do?
Do not negotiate without knowing which demands the Industrial Disputes Act and the standing orders already answer. We sit with the management before the next meeting.
Is a harassment complaint an HR issue or a legal one?
It is both. The internal committee, the timeline, and the record are legal requirements. A conversation that is not minuted is not a defence.
These answers describe the practice. They are not advice on the facts of your matter.
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