Employment problems in Delhi range from factory and shop workers denied wages to office staff asked to resign overnight. This page explains how labour and employment disputes are handled in the city and how to book a free consultation with an enrolled advocate.
Industrial disputes in Delhi are raised before the conciliation machinery of the labour department and then heard by the Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals of Delhi. Labour Lawyers in Delhi advise on the law, draft the papers and appear for you. Booking a first consultation with an enrolled advocate through Mara Vakil is free.
People across Delhi's offices, shops, hospitals, warehouses and industrial areas such as Okhla, Narela and Bawana bring similar concerns. Salary has been held back for several months. An employee was terminated without notice or reasons, or was pressured into signing a resignation letter. Full and final settlement has not been paid, or the employer refuses to release the experience letter. Others find that provident fund contributions deducted from their pay were never deposited, or that the gratuity they expected after years of service is being calculated on a lower figure.
The legal framework has been consolidated into four Labour Codes: the Code on Wages, the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. Together they deal with timely payment of wages, minimum wages, bonus, retrenchment and closure, standing orders, gratuity, provident fund and insurance. Whether a person counts as a worker under the Industrial Relations Code, rather than someone in a managerial or supervisory role above the prescribed wage limit, matters a great deal, because it decides whether the industrial dispute machinery is available or whether the claim must be pursued as a breach of contract.
Workplace sexual harassment is dealt with under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, usually called the POSH Act. Every employer with ten or more employees must constitute an Internal Committee, and a complaint should normally be made within three months of the incident, with the committee able to extend this in some cases. Where no Internal Committee exists, or the complaint is against the employer, the Local Committee set up by the District Officer is the forum. Retaliation for making a complaint can itself give rise to further remedies.
Disputes involving workers are first taken up in conciliation by officers of the Labour Department of the Government of NCT of Delhi, which has district-level offices. If conciliation fails, the dispute can be referred to, or in permitted cases filed directly before, the Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals of Delhi. Claims for unpaid or short-paid wages go to the authority designated under the Code on Wages, and gratuity claims go to the controlling authority under the Code on Social Security. Provident fund grievances are raised with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation through its regional offices and online grievance portal.
Orders of the Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals can be challenged before the Delhi High Court through a writ petition, and some statutory orders have their own appellate authority. Employees in senior roles who do not qualify as workers usually file a civil suit for damages in the District Courts or, for higher claims, in the Delhi High Court, or proceed through arbitration if their contract requires it. Your advocate will confirm the correct forum after looking at your designation, duties and salary.
Delhi High Court
Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals; authorities under the Labour Codes; Internal Committee for POSH complaints
Hindi, English, Punjabi and Urdu
Employment law has two distinct streams in practice: industrial disputes for workers before labour forums, and contract-based claims for managers before civil courts or arbitration. Ask the advocate which stream they mostly handle and whether they appear before the Delhi labour forums. Check the advocate's enrolment number with the Bar Council of Delhi or their State Bar Council, and bring a clear timeline of your employment, salary changes and the events leading to the dispute.
Agree the scope and fee in writing, including whether it covers conciliation only or continues into Labour Court proceedings. Fees depend on the advocate and the matter. Ask for receipts for all payments and copies of every filing. If you cannot afford an advocate, you may be eligible for free legal aid through the NALSA helpline 15100. Mara Vakil helps you book a free consultation with an enrolled advocate and charges clients nothing to find or consult advocates.
On Mara Vakil you describe your matter once and enrolled advocates who handle labour matters in Delhi can accept it and call you. Mara Vakil charges clients nothing to find or consult advocates. Send your matter →
You can send a written demand and then file a claim before the authority designated under the Code on Wages, or raise an industrial dispute through the Delhi Labour Department. Keep salary slips and bank statements that show when payments stopped. An advocate can also include other dues such as leave encashment in the same claim.
It depends on your contract, your status as a worker and the standing orders that apply. Workers usually have protections around notice and retrenchment compensation under the Industrial Relations Code. For managerial staff, the contract terms decide whether notice pay or damages can be claimed.
Gratuity is generally payable after five years of continuous service, with shorter eligibility for fixed-term employees under the Code on Social Security. You first apply to the employer, and if payment is refused or delayed, you approach the controlling authority. Interest can be claimed on delayed gratuity.
You can raise a grievance with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation online or at its regional office, using your UAN and salary slips showing the deductions. Non-deposit of deducted contributions is treated seriously, and the EPFO can start recovery against the employer.
Submit a written complaint to your employer's Internal Committee, ideally within three months of the incident. If there is no Internal Committee or the complaint is against the employer, approach the Local Committee of the district. In an emergency, call 112, and the women helpline 181 can also guide you.
Workers can appear in conciliation without an advocate, and unions sometimes represent them. However, an advocate helps calculate dues correctly, draft the claim and handle evidence if the matter reaches the Labour Court. Free legal aid is also available through legal services authorities for eligible persons.
Other help in Delhi:
Labour Lawyer in other cities:
Guide: Read the step-by-step guide
This page gives general information about the law in Delhi, Delhi (National Capital Territory). It is not legal advice and is not an advertisement or solicitation by any advocate. Laws and court practice change; confirm details with an advocate before acting. Mara Vakil is a technology platform, not a law firm. Read our disclaimer.
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