Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 · Chapter IV: Procedure, Powers and Duties of Authorities
Section 13: Duties of Board
The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 was repealed and replaced by the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 from 21 November 2025.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
A Board of Conciliation must try to bring about a settlement of the dispute referred to it, investigating the dispute without delay.
- If settled, it reports with the signed memorandum. If not, it reports its findings, reasons and recommendations.
- It reports within two months, extendable by the government by up to two months in total, or longer by written agreement of the parties.
- For a public utility service, if the government then does not refer the dispute, it must record and communicate reasons.
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
(1) Where a dispute has been referred to a Board under this Act, it shall be the duty of the Board to endeavour to bring about a settlement of the same and for this purpose the Board shall, in such manner as it thinks fit and without delay, investigate the dispute and all matters affecting the
merits and the right settlement thereof and may do all such things as it thinks fit for the purpose of inducing the parties to come to a fair and amicable settlement of the dispute.
(2) If a settlement of the dispute or of any of the matters in dispute is arrived at in the course of the conciliation proceedings, the Board shall send a report thereof to the appropriate Government together with a memorandum of the settlement signed by the parties to the dispute.
(3) If no such settlement is arrived at, the Board shall, as soon as practicable after the close of the investigation, send to the appropriate Government a full report setting forth the proceedings and steps taken by the Board for ascertaining the facts and circumstances relating to the dispute and for bringing about a settlement thereof, together with a full statement of such facts and circumstances, its findings thereon, the reasons on account of which, in its opinion, a settlement could not be arrived at and its recommendations for the determination of the dispute.
(4) If, on the receipt of a report under sub-section (3) in respect of a dispute relating to a public utility service, the appropriate Government does not make a reference to a [Labour Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal] under section 10, it shall record and communicate to the parties concerned its reasons therefor.
(5) The Board shall submit its report under this section within two months of the date [on which the dispute was referred to it] or within such shorter period as may be fixed by the appropriate Government:
Provided that the appropriate Government may from time to time extend the time for the submission of the report by such further periods not exceeding two months in the aggregate:
Provided further that the time for the submission of the report may be extended by such period as may be agreed on in writing by all the parties to the dispute.
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.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 13
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.