Strike Notice Format (Notice of Strike)
A trade union’s formal notice of strike to the employer: who will strike, from when and for how long, the demands, the talks held so far and the decision behind it.
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[Dear …,]
We hereby give you notice that [who will strike] will go on strike from [time] on [date].
Our demands
[our demands, one per line]
This decision was taken at [the meeting at which the decision was taken]. The union remains ready to discuss these demands, and to take part in conciliation, at any time before the strike begins. If a settlement is reached, the strike will be called off.
What is a Strike Notice to Management?
A strike notice is a trade union’s formal written notice to an employer that its members will go on strike: who will strike, from what date and time, for how long, and why. It lists the demands, the efforts made to settle them and the meeting that took the decision. In India, Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 sets notice rules for strikes in industrial establishments, and a strike without proper notice is not lawful. Fill in the form on this page, and check it with your federation or a labour lawyer before serving it.
Trade unions serve a strike notice when talks on a charter of demands or another dispute have not produced a settlement and the members have decided to strike. Factory, warehouse, transport, bank and office staff unions all use the same format, whether the action is a one-day token strike or a longer one. It is addressed to the employer — usually the managing director, general manager or head of the establishment — and copies go to the authorities the applicable rules name. The general secretary or another authorised office-bearer signs it. In the US, the same document is called a notice of strike or a notice of intent to strike, and the local’s officers send it.
In India, strikes come under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, in force since 21 November 2025, which replaced the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. Among other conditions, Section 62 requires notice to the employer within 60 days before a strike, bars a strike within 14 days of that notice, and bars one during conciliation, tribunal or arbitration proceedings or for a set period after them. Check the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer before serving, because those details come from the rules. In the US, notice rules vary, and strikes by public employees are restricted or banned in many states; check with the union’s legal counsel.
A strike notice is not a charter of demands, which comes first and asks for talks, and it is not a public announcement: a separate public notice can tell customers what to expect, but it never replaces this notice to the employer. Serving the notice does not by itself make a strike lawful — every condition in Section 62 still has to be met on the day — and it does not end the dispute. Talks and conciliation can continue, and if the union settles, defers or calls off the strike, it should tell the employer in writing.
What to put in a Strike Notice to Management
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/STR/2026/04 |
| To (employer) | For example: The Managing Director |
| Greeting | For example: Dear Sir / Madam, |
| Law under which notice is given optional | Check this with your federation or a labour lawyer before you serve the notice |
| Who will strike | For example: our members at the Guntur plant and depots |
| Strike begins on | In India, Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code: not within 14 days of this notice, and within 60 days of it. Confirm the dates with your federation or a labour lawyer |
| Starting time | For example: 6:00 a.m. |
| Duration | For example: 24 hours, 48 hours, or until the demands are settled |
| Our demands | One per line |
| Efforts made so far optional | One per line |
| Decided at | For example: the Executive Committee meeting held on 11 October 2026 |
| Copies to optional | One per line |
| Signed by | For example: P. Lakshmi |
| Post in the union | For example: General Secretary |
How to write a strike notice to management
Head it with the union’s details and date
Enter the union’s full name, registration number and office address as they appear on its registration certificate, so the employer knows exactly which union is giving notice. Add a reference number from the union’s outward register. Date the notice on the day you serve it, because the notice periods are counted from when the notice is given, and a notice dated earlier than its delivery invites argument about when they began.
Address the employer and name the law
In the ‘To’ field, give the designation and address of the person in charge of the establishment, such as the Managing Director or General Manager, and use a greeting such as ‘Dear Sir / Madam’. In the law field, name the provision you are acting under — in India, usually Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020. Check with your federation or a labour lawyer whether your State’s rules prescribe a form of notice that you must use.
Say who will strike, from when and for how long
Name the group exactly — ‘our members at the Guntur plant and depots’, not ‘all staff’. Give the start date and time and the duration, such as 48 hours, with the end time if it is fixed. Under Section 62 the strike cannot begin within 14 days of the notice, and the notice must be given within 60 days before it; check the dates against the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer.
List the demands, the efforts and the decision
Enter the unresolved demands one per line, in the same words as your charter of demands, so the employer and any Conciliation Officer can see exactly what is in dispute. Under efforts made so far, list dated facts: when the charter was submitted and each round of talks with its outcome. In ‘Decided at’, name the meeting that took the strike decision and its date, as recorded in the minutes; the union’s constitution decides which body may take it.
Sign it, copy it and serve it with proof
The notice is signed for the union by an office-bearer its constitution or the meeting has authorised, usually the General Secretary, with name and post. The letter adds that the union remains ready for talks and conciliation. List the copies the applicable rules require, serve the notice in the prescribed manner — your federation or a labour lawyer can confirm both — and keep an acknowledged copy or proof of delivery, since the date of service starts the notice periods.
Strike notice format: sample letters
Two sample strike notices, one from an Indian factory union and one from a US local, to adapt after checking the notice rules that apply to you.
Strike notice to management (India)
KUSAGRA SUPPLIES EMPLOYEES’ UNION
D.No. 12-4-56, Arundelpet, Guntur 522002 · Regd. No. TU/GNT/2019/112
Ref: KSEU/STR/2026/01 · Date: 16 November 2026
To,
The Managing Director
Kusagra Supplies Ltd.
Plot 47, Auto Nagar, Guntur 522001
Sub: Notice of strike
Dear Sir / Madam,
We hereby give you notice, under Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, that our members at the Guntur plant and depots will go on strike from 6:00 a.m. on 3 December 2026 for 48 hours.
Our demands
1. Wage revision, due since January 2026.
2. Regularisation of long-serving contract workers.
Efforts made so far to settle these demands:
— Charter of demands submitted on 2 November 2026.
— Talks on 12 November 2026 ended without a settlement.
This decision was taken at the Executive Committee meeting on 13 November 2026. The union remains ready to discuss these demands, and to take part in conciliation, at any time before the strike begins. If a settlement is reached, the strike will be called off.
Yours faithfully,
For Kusagra Supplies Employees’ Union
P. Lakshmi
General Secretary
Copy to: The Conciliation Officer (Labour Department), Guntur
Notice of strike from a US local
NORTHGATE LOGISTICS EMPLOYEES’ UNION, LOCAL 2210
1450 Harbor Road, Columbus, OH 43215
Date: November 16, 2026
Ms. Emily Hayes
Director of Human Resources
Northgate Logistics, Columbus, OH 43215
Subject: Notice of strike
Dear Ms. Hayes,
We hereby give you notice that the members of Local 2210 employed at the Columbus distribution center will go on strike from 6:00 a.m. on December 3, 2026 for 48 hours.
Our demands
1. A fair wage increase in the new contract.
2. Safe staffing on every shift.
3. An end to forced overtime.
Efforts made so far to settle these demands:
— Bargaining sessions held on October 9, 23 and 30.
— The contract expired on October 31 without an agreement.
This decision was taken at the membership meeting held on November 8, by a vote of the members. The union remains ready to discuss these demands, and to take part in conciliation, at any time before the strike begins. If a settlement is reached, the strike will be called off.
Sincerely,
For Northgate Logistics Employees’ Union, Local 2210
Dana Whitfield
Secretary-Treasurer
Common mistakes
- Picking the strike date without checking Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code and your State’s rules with a labour lawyer, so it falls within 14 days of the notice or over 60 days after, making the strike unlawful.
- Copying an old format that cites the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, which the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 replaced on 21 November 2025, so the notice relies on a repealed law.
- Listing demands that differ from the charter of demands and the talks so far, which confuses any conciliation and lets the employer say the new demands were never raised with it.
- Serving the notice with no acknowledgement or proof of delivery, so the union cannot show when it was given, and therefore when the notice periods began.
- Assuming a valid notice is enough and striking while conciliation proceedings are pending, when Section 62 bars a strike until seven days after they end; confirm the position with your federation or a labour lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the format of a strike notice?
A strike notice goes on the union’s letterhead with its registration number, followed by a reference number and date, ‘To,’ with the employer’s designation and address, and ‘Sub: Notice of strike’. After the greeting, one sentence gives notice, under the relevant law, of who will strike, from what time and date and for how long. Then come the numbered demands, the efforts made so far, the meeting that took the decision, the union’s readiness for talks, the signature for the union and a copy list.
What is the notice period for a strike in India?
Under Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, a person employed in an industrial establishment must not strike in breach of contract without giving the employer notice within 60 days before striking, or within 14 days of giving it. So the strike should start after those 14 days and within 60 days of the notice, and not before the date it names. Check the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer before serving it.
Can workers go on strike without notice?
Generally not, in an industrial establishment in India. Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 bars anyone employed in one from striking in breach of contract without giving the employer notice within 60 days before striking, or within 14 days of that notice. Check the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer. In the US, a strike at a health care institution needs at least 10 days’ written notice under the National Labor Relations Act.
What is Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code?
Section 62 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 bars anyone employed in an industrial establishment from striking in breach of contract: without notice to the employer within 60 days before striking; within 14 days of notice; before the notified date; during conciliation or the seven days after; during tribunal or arbitration proceedings or 60 days after; or on matters covered by a settlement or award in operation. Check the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer.
To whom should a strike notice be given?
A strike notice goes to the employer. Address it by designation to the head of the establishment, such as the Managing Director, General Manager or unit head, at the address where it receives official letters. The rules made under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 may prescribe how the notice is served and who else must receive a copy, so check the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer. Keep an acknowledged copy or proof of delivery.
Who signs a strike notice?
An office-bearer the union has authorised, usually the General Secretary or the President, signs it ‘For’ the union, with name and post. The union’s constitution and the resolution of the meeting that took the strike decision should make that authority clear, so record it in the minutes. The rules under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 may also say how the notice must be given; check them with your federation or a labour lawyer. In a US local, an officer such as the president or secretary-treasurer usually signs.
When is a strike illegal?
In India, a strike in an industrial establishment is illegal under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 if, among other things, it breaks Section 62 by starting without notice given within 60 days before it, within 14 days of the notice, before the notified date, during conciliation, tribunal or arbitration proceedings or the set period after them, or on matters covered by a settlement or award in operation. Check the Code, your State’s rules and any prescribed form or manner of service with your federation or a labour lawyer.
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.