(CENTRAL LABOUR SERVICE)

1. The Central Labour Service (CLS) was constituted with effect from 3rd February 1987 to ensure better industrial relations, labour law enforcement and labour welfare. Consequent upon the Cadre Review, the Central Labour Service (CLS) was notified as an organized service in the year 2004.

2. The factories and mines employing 500 or more workers and plantations employing 300 or more workers are required to appoint a prescribed number of welfare officers under the relevant statutes. Assistant Labour Welfare Commissioners (Central) and Deputy Labour Welfare Commissioners (Central) discharge these statutory functions and they also advise and assist the management of the concerned establishments in maintaining harmonious industrial relations in the areas of safety, health and welfare of workers etc. Moreover, by assisting in resolution of workers’ grievances, these officers prevent grievances from escalating into industrial disputes.

3. In addition, officers appointed as Assistant Labour Commissioners (Central), Regional Labour Commissioners (C), Deputy Chief Labour Commissioners (C) and Additional Chief Labour Commissioner(c) in the Central Industrial Relations Machinery (CIRM), headed by the Chief Labour Commissioner (C) are also entrusted with the task of maintaining harmonious Industrial relations in the Central sphere. The officers under CIRM are responsible for enforcement of all applicable labour law in the central Sphere establishment/ industries. They also work as a quasi-judicial authority under Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Wages Act, Payment of Gratuity Act and Conciliation Officer under Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. In addition, these officers also conduct general verification of Central Trade Union Organization and also Trade Unions unit level membership verification under Code of Discipline.

3.1 The officers of CLS appointed as Assistant Welfare Commissioner (C), Deputy Welfare Commissioner (C) and Welfare Commissioner in the Welfare Organization of the Ministry of Labour and Employment under the Director General (Labour Welfare) look after the various Labour Welfare schemes for beedi, Cine and certain categories of non-coal mine workers.

4. Consequent upon the 2nd Cadre Review of the Central Labour Service (CLS) in 2014, the present Cadre strength of the Service in various grades was restructured and revised viz. 01 post in HAG, 02 posts in SAG, 59 posts in JAG, 115 posts in STS and 163 posts in JTS Grade.