Charter of Demands Format
A trade union’s charter of demands to the employer: the demands in a numbered table, the period of settlement sought, who approved it and a request for talks.
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[Dear …,]
On behalf of [union name], we submit the following charter of demands, approved by [the meeting that approved it].
| No. | Demand | Details |
|---|---|---|
| [one per line — demand | details] |
[request for talks]. We look forward to a fair settlement through discussion.
What is a Charter of Demands?
A charter of demands is a trade union’s written list of demands to an employer — on wages, allowances, staffing, safety and other conditions — submitted to open negotiations for a settlement. It numbers each demand with details, states the period the settlement should cover, records which meeting approved it and asks for talks. Without a clear charter, demands shift from meeting to meeting, talks drift, and the union cannot later show what it asked for and when. Fill in the form on this page to set out your demands in a numbered table.
Unions and staff associations submit a charter of demands when a wage settlement is about to expire or has expired, when a union starts bargaining with an employer for the first time, or when several issues — shift allowances, vacancies, safety, the status of contract workers — need to be negotiated together. Factory, warehouse, transport, bank, hotel and office staff unions all use the format. It usually goes from the General Secretary, for the union, to the managing director or head of human resources, after the executive committee or general body has approved it. In the US, the equivalent is the union’s initial bargaining proposals for a new contract.
Who drafts the charter, which body must approve it and who may sign it are set by the union’s constitution and rules, so check them first; many unions put the charter before the general body. Check when your current settlement or award ends, because the new period usually starts the next day. The negotiations, and any settlement that follows, come under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and the rules made under it by the Central or State Government, so check the procedure with your federation or a labour lawyer. In the US, the National Labor Relations Act requires 60 days’ notice before a collective bargaining agreement is ended or changed; check timing with the union’s legal counsel.
A charter of demands is a proposal, not an agreement: the employer is not bound by it, and nothing in it takes effect unless it is agreed in a settlement or granted in an award. It is not a strike notice and does not serve as notice of any strike; if talks fail, a strike notice is a separate document with its own legal rules. Nor is it the place for one member’s grievance, which should go through the establishment’s grievance procedure. Keep the charter to collective demands the union can explain and justify at the table.
What to put in a Charter of Demands
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Union name | For example: Kusagra Supplies Employees’ Union |
| Registration no. optional | As shown on the union’s registration certificate |
| Union office address | For example: D.No. 12-4-56, Arundelpet |
| Reference no. optional | For example: KSEU/COD/2026/01 |
| To (employer) | For example: The Managing Director |
| Greeting | For example: Dear Sir / Madam, |
| Period of settlement sought optional | For example: three years from 1 January 2026 |
| Approved by | For example: the Executive Committee on 22 September 2026, subject to ratification by the General Body |
| Demands | One per line — demand | details |
| Request for talks | For example: We request you to fix a date for talks on this charter within 30 days of receiving it. |
| Copies to optional | One per line |
| Signed by | For example: P. Lakshmi |
| Post in the union | For example: General Secretary |
How to prepare a charter of demands
Head it with the union’s details and a reference
Enter the union’s full name, registration number and office address so the employer knows which union is writing and where to reply. Give the charter a reference number from the union’s outward register and date it on the day it is submitted. Every later letter — reminders, minutes of talks, any conciliation papers — will refer to the charter by this number and date, so record both in the union’s files.
Address the employer and state the period
In the ‘To’ field, give the designation and address of the person who negotiates for the employer, usually the Managing Director or head of human resources, and use a greeting such as ‘Dear Sir / Madam’. Then enter the settlement period you are seeking in words that fit both the subject line and the opening paragraph, such as ‘three years from 1 January 2026’. Start it the day after the current settlement ends, so there is no gap.
Record who approved it
Say which meeting approved the charter and when, such as ‘the Executive Committee on 11 October 2026’. Your constitution decides whether the executive committee may approve it or whether it must go to the general body; if the general body is to ratify it later, say so. Keep the minutes with the resolution, because they show the employer and any Conciliation Officer that the demands carry the members’ mandate.
Number each demand and give details
Enter one demand per line, as a short title and the details separated by a bar: ‘Wage revision | An increase of ₹4,000 a month in basic pay from 1 January 2026’. The form numbers them in a table. Make each demand specific — an amount, a date, the employees covered — so it can be discussed and costed, put the most important first, and attach scales or calculations as annexures rather than crowding the table.
Ask for talks, sign and submit it
In the request for talks, ask the employer to fix a date within a set time, such as 30 days. List any copies — for example to the Conciliation Officer or the union’s federation — then have the charter signed for the union by the office-bearer your constitution authorises, usually the General Secretary. Hand it over against an acknowledgement or send it with proof of delivery, and keep a copy with the approval minutes.
Charter of demands sample
A sample charter of demands from a factory union seeking a three-year settlement; replace the demands, amounts and period with your own.
Charter of demands (India)
KUSAGRA SUPPLIES EMPLOYEES’ UNION
D.No. 12-4-56, Arundelpet, Guntur 522002 · Regd. No. TU/GNT/2019/112
Ref: KSEU/COD/2026/01 · Date: 2 November 2026
To,
The Managing Director
Kusagra Supplies Ltd.
Plot 47, Auto Nagar, Guntur 522001
Sub: Charter of demands for three years from 1 January 2026
Dear Sir / Madam,
On behalf of Kusagra Supplies Employees’ Union, we submit the following charter of demands, approved by the Executive Committee on 11 October 2026, subject to ratification by the General Body. We seek a settlement for a period of three years from 1 January 2026.
No. | Demand | Details
1 | Wage revision | An increase of ₹4,000 a month in basic pay from 1 January 2026
2 | Dearness allowance | Linked to the Consumer Price Index, revised every six months
3 | Vacancies | Filling of all vacant depot posts within six months
4 | Contract workers | Regularisation of those with three years of continuous service
We request you to fix a date for talks within 30 days. We look forward to a fair settlement through discussion.
Yours faithfully,
For Kusagra Supplies Employees’ Union
P. Lakshmi
General Secretary
Common mistakes
- Submitting demands that the executive committee or general body never approved, so the employer questions whether the charter speaks for the members, and members may later disown it.
- Writing vague demands such as ‘a suitable wage increase’, which cannot be costed or answered, so the early rounds of talks are spent finding out what the union actually wants.
- Leaving out the settlement period, or choosing one that overlaps the current settlement, which leads to arguments about when the new terms start and when the next charter is due.
- Mixing individual grievances with collective demands, which lengthens the charter and pulls the talks away from the issues that affect all members.
- Submitting it without a reference number or proof of delivery, so the union cannot show when the employer received it if talks are delayed or the dispute reaches conciliation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a charter of demands?
A charter of demands is a written list of demands that a trade union submits to an employer to open negotiations for a settlement on wages and working conditions. Each demand is numbered with details, and the charter states the period the settlement should cover and which union meeting approved it, and asks for talks. It is a proposal: nothing in it binds the employer unless it is agreed in a settlement.
How do I prepare a charter of demands?
To prepare a charter of demands, collect members’ issues through unit meetings or a written survey, then draft the demands with the executive committee: one per item, with amounts, dates and the employees covered. Check your constitution for who must approve the charter and record the approval in the minutes. Set it out on the union’s letterhead with a numbered table of demands, the settlement period sought and a request for talks, then have the authorised office-bearer sign and submit it against an acknowledgement.
Who submits a charter of demands?
A trade union submits its charter of demands through an office-bearer that its constitution or a resolution authorises — usually the General Secretary, sometimes the President — addressed to the head of the establishment or of human resources. Where more than one union operates at an employer, which union negotiates, and on what basis, can depend on the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the rules made under it and the employer’s practice, so check with your federation or a labour lawyer.
What happens after a charter of demands is submitted?
The employer usually acknowledges the charter, and the two sides meet for talks, often over several rounds, with minutes of each. If they agree, the terms are written into a settlement signed by both. If talks break down, the dispute may go to a Conciliation Officer. Any strike would need a notice under Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — check the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer.
What is the difference between a charter of demands and a settlement?
A charter of demands is the union’s opening proposal: what it asks for, signed by the union alone and binding on no one. A settlement is the agreement reached after negotiation or conciliation, signed by both the employer and the union, setting out the agreed terms and the period they apply for. The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and the rules made under it govern how a settlement is made and recorded, so check the current requirements with your federation or a labour lawyer.
What is the format of a charter of demands?
A charter of demands is written on the union’s letterhead: a reference number and date; ‘To,’ with the employer’s designation and address; and ‘Sub: Charter of demands for’ the period sought. After the greeting, a paragraph says which meeting approved the charter and the settlement period sought, followed by a table with the columns No., Demand and Details. It closes with a request for talks, ‘Yours faithfully, For’ the union, the office-bearer’s name and post, and any copy list.
Can a charter of demands be changed after it is submitted?
Generally yes. A union can add, drop or modify the demands in its charter during talks, but it should do so in writing, referring to the original charter by its reference number and date, and with the approval its constitution requires. Record every change in the minutes of the talks. If the dispute is already before a Conciliation Officer, ask your federation or a labour lawyer how new demands should be raised.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.