Judgment

BOSE, J. : We are concerned here with there appeals. They arise out of a dispute between the J. K. Iron and Steel Company Ltd., and the Iron and Steel Mazdoor Union. We will call them the Company and the Mazdoor Union respectively. The facts are as follows.

2. The Company had its factory and other works at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. On 10-4-1948 the Ministry of Commerce in the Government of India ordered the Company to shift its Jute Baling Hoops factory from Kanpur to Calcutta.

3. As no land was available in Calcutta no effect could be given to this order till the year 1950-51. On 19-3-1951 the Iron & Steel Controller ordered the Company to stop the rolling of Jute baling hoops at once. Accordingly, the production of these hoops was stopped from that date.

4. At the same time there was scarcity of scrap iron and the Company s case is that that forced it to reduce the working of its furnace from three shifts a day to one.

5. The Company states that because of these two causes it was obliged to retrench its staff. Therefore, it issued the following notice dated 15-5-1951 to 128 of its workers :

"Consequent to transfer of the Rolling Mill to Calcutta and want to scrap of Furnace De