(1) The employer and workers may agree to refer any industrial dispute to arbitration by entering into an arbitration agreement in Form- V.

(2) The arbitration agreement referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be signed by the parties to the said agreement and it shall be accompanied by the consent, either in writing or electronically, of arbitrator or arbitrators.

(3) The arbitration agreement referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be signed, -

(i) in case of an employer, by the employer himself, or when the employer is an incorporated company or other body corporate, by the agent, manager or other officer of the company or corporation authorised for such purpose;

(ii) in the case of workers, by the officer of the registered Trade Union authorised in this behalf or by five representatives of the workers duly authorised in this behalf at a meeting of the concerned workers held for such purpose; and

(iii) in the case of an individual worker, by such worker himself or by an officer of the registered Trade Union, of which the worker is a member, or by another worker in the same establishment duly authorised by him in this behalf.

Explanation. – For the purposes of this rule, the term “officer”,

(a) in case of an association of the employers, means any officer of such association of the employers authorised for such purpose; and

(b) in case of a registered Trade Union, means any of the following officers of such Trade Union authorised for such purpose, namely:–

(i) the President; or

(ii) the Vice-President; or

(iii) the Secretary (including the General Secretary); or

(iv) a Joint Secretary; or

(v) any other officer of such Trade Union authorised in this behalf by the President and Secretary of such Trade Union.