Standing Orders refer to the basic document which describes and defines the relationship between employer and employees. It is governed by Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act and is applicable to establishments employing 100 or more employees. However, most of the states have made it applicable to establishments employing 50 or more employees. In Assam it is applicable to establishments with 18 or more employees.
Standing order is applicable only to industrial establishments. However, various state govts have extended it to other establishments also. Therefore, the applicability of this Act to your establishment will have to be checked with your state notification in this regard.
When the Act becomes applicable to an establishment the model standing orders given in the Act may be adapted for a period of 6 months. Within that period you will have to draft your own standing orders and get it approved by the trade union(s) and certified by an officer of the Labour Deptt not below the rank of Dy. Labour Commissioner. The jurisdiction of the certifying officer will change subject to certain factors like, the location of establishment whether it is confined only to a district or is having branches in other districts but within one state or is having branches outside a state etc.
If the establishment does not have a trade union, representatives of the employees need to be elected. This is normally done by the certifying officer.
A draft of standing orders is attached here for your perusal. You can just add your company name and also make some changes according to your requirements. It is an old draft, therefore, I have not included the grievance machinery in detail.
Regards,
Madhu.T.K