Under all labour enactments be it Industrial Disputes Act, Employees State Insurance Act, Employees Provident Fund and Misc. provisions Act, Payment of Bonus Act, Payment of Gratuity Act or other, the workman or employee means a person employed to do a work connected with the company. The 2010 amendment in ID Act has provided for redressal of disputes of contract workers. Therefore, whether employed directly or indirectly all who are engaged to get something done are workmen with the exception of a few specific exemptions given in various Acts on the basis of wages or the functions as to whether they are engaged to do managerial or administrative works alone or not. Therefore, the number of employees should include contract workers also because it is with the help of these employees also that the company is carrying out its business and it is only for the company's administrative convenience that they are put in a separate roll as contract labours.
Standing Orders is a set of rules and regulations which bind the employee employee relationship. In the case of contract labours engaged through contractor, there exists no such employee employer relationship between the labour and the principal employer and that is why the standing order is not made applicable to them. Moreover, the applicability of Standing Orders will be clearly stated in the standing orders itself.
Regards,
Madhu.T.K