Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 · Chapter V: Strikes and Lock-Outs
Section 23: General prohibition of strikes and lock-outs
The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 was repealed and replaced by the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 from 21 November 2025. It still applies to matters and proceedings from before that date, as the repealing law provides.
In plain words
In any industrial establishment, workers cannot strike and employers cannot lock out during certain periods.
- While conciliation before a Board is pending and for seven days after.
- While proceedings before a Labour Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal are pending and for two months after.
- While notified arbitration is pending and for two months after.
- While a settlement or award is in force, on the matters it covers.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
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 [a Labour Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal] and two months after the conclusion of such proceedings; *** [(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 10A; 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.
Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.