B.N. SRIKRISHNA, J. :---These are two writ petitions under Article 226 of the Constituion of India filed by the Employer and the Workmen, respectively, challenging the Award of the National Industrial Tribunal dated 8th April, 1991, made in Reference No. NTP-2 of 1987. Since the two writ petitions are in the nature of cross-petitions, the parties shall, hereinafter, be referred to as they are arrayed in Writ Petition No. 2416 of 1991, in which the petitioner is the Employer, Respondent No. 1 is the Presiding Officer, National Industrial Tribunal, Bombay and respondents 2 to 8 are Trade Unions/Associations representing the present and past workmen of the petitioner-Employer.

2. A Company known as ICI (India) Private Limited was incorporated some time in 1926. Between 1939 to 1961, three Indian subsidiaries, by name, (1) Alkali and Chemicals Corporation of India Limited, (2) Indian Explosives Limited and (3) Chemicals and Fibres of India Limited, of the parent U.K. Company were set up in India. In 1982, the other subsidiary Companies were amalgamated with Indian Explosives Limited. In 1989, the name of Indian Explosives Limited was changed to ICI India Limited which is the na