2011 Supreme(All) 662
[2011(4) ADJ 487]
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : S.U. KHAN, J.
M/s. AREVA T & D INDIA LTD. …..Petitioner
Versus
PRESIDING OFFICER, LABOUR COURT, U.P. ALLAHABAD AND OTHERS ….Respondents
(Civil Misc. Writ Petition Nos. 53201 of 2007 and 25656 of 2008,
decided on 8th March, 2011)
Counsel :
Piyush Bhargava and V.R. Agarwal for the Petitioners; C.S.C., Miss Bushra Maryam, Pooja Srivastava and K.P. Agrawal for the Respondents.
Headnote:U.P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947—Sections 6-R, 6-J to 6-Q and 6-N—Industrial Disputes Act, 1947—Sections 25-F, 25-T, 25-U—Reinstatement—Unfair labour practice—In impugned award, it is mentioned that one workman was first time employed in January, 1981, two in 1982, one in 1985, one in 1987, one in 1990, one in 1994 and one in 1996—And that work was being rotated among 11 workmen only, whose cases were before Labour Court—Ultimately, Labour Court directed reinstatement, but without backwages—Accordingly, even if it is assumed that engagement of workmen for short period even against permanent requirement was unfair labour practice, still setting aside retrenchment and direction for reinstatement was not warranted as violation of none of Sections 6-J to 6-R was either alleged, or involved—In fact, demand of workmen was that they must be given permanent work by employer—Workmen were engaged casually for first time in 1981, 82, 85, 87, 90, 94 and 96—Accordingly, dispute raised by workers are quite late, and now fatal—Thus, first petition filed by employer is allowed and directing reinstatement is set aside—And substituted by directions to employer to pay reasonable damages/compensation to workmen—And second writ petition of workers liable to be dismissed. [Paras 10, 13, 21, 22 to 26]
Hon’ble S.U. Khan, J.—Heard Shri Vijay Ratan Agrawal, learned senior counsel assisted by Shri Piyush Bhargava, learned counsel for the employer and Shri K.P.Agarwal, learned senior counsel assisted by Miss Pooja Srivastava, learned counsel for the workmen. First writ petition has been filed by the employer and the second writ petition by eight concerned workmen. Learned counsel for both the parties stated that as the second writ petition by the workmen is for implementation of the award which has been challenged by the employer in the first writ petition hence after decision on the first writ petition, second writ petition will automatically become infructuous.
2. The first writ petition by the employer is directed against award dated 1.2.2007 given by Presiding Officer, Labour Court (U.P.), Allahabad in eleven adjudication cases numbered as adjudication case Nos. 17 of 2000 to 26 of 2000 and adjudication case No. 69 of 1999.
3. The workmen had complained that their services had wrongly been terminated on the following dates :
Sl. No. Name of the workman Date of termination
1. Banwari Lal (Respondent No. 3) 13.11.1997
2. Ramanand (Respondent No. 4) 1.10.1997
3. Mohan Singh (Respondent No. 5) 29.4.1999
4. Rajendra Prasad Sen (Respondent No. 6) 20.1.1998
5. Ramesh Kumar Yadav (Respondent No. 7) 13.11.1997
6. Surya Prakash Yadav (Respondent No. 8) 6.1.1998
7. Shrerram Patel (Respondent No. 9) 22.9.1997
8. Arvind Kumar Patel (Respondent No. 10) 22.11.1997
4. Through the impugned award three more adjudication cases were decided i.e. adjudication case No. 20 of 2000 in respect of workman Chotey Lal Yadav, adjudication case No. 22 of 2000 in respect of workman Mohammad Sayden Hasnain and adjudication case No. 23 of 2000 in respect of workman Ram Shringar. These workmen have neither been impleaded as respondents in the first writ petition nor petitioners in the second writ petition. The adjudication case in respect of workman Banwari Lal was made the leading case.
5. Earlier the award was given on 9.8.2002 through which the employer was directed to pay compensation to the workmen instead of reinstatement. The said award was challenged by both the parties through four writ petitions the leading one being writ petition No. 19855 of 2003, Banwari Lal and others v. Presiding Officer, Labour Court, U.P., Allahabad and another. The writ petitions were allowed on 10.6.2005 and the matter was remanded to the Labour Court. After remand the award was given which is challenged through this writ petition. The relevant portion of earlier judgment of this Court dated 10.6.2005 is quoted below:
“From the pleadings of the parties and the award it is apparently clear that the workmen have not completed 240 days service in the previous calendar year. Therefore, the applicability of Section 6-N in the facts of the present case does not arises nor the counsel for the workmen has made any attempt to establish the right of the workmen on the ground of violation of Section 6-N before this Court.
So far as the issue of adoption of unfair labour practice by the employers is concerned, if entire case set up by the workmen is accepted, it would only mean that the employers had a requirement of certain number of employees in respect of permanent nature of work and instead of continuing the same set of employees, regularly the employers decided to take work on rotational basis from amongst the petitioners.
Thus the issue, which should have been considered by the Labour Court. In the facts of the case, was as to how many workmen were actually required to discharge the work, which was permanent in nature, against which the petitioners were appointed on rotational basis. The Labour Court was also required to decide as to which of the employees were appointed at the first instance as workman for performing the permanent work in as much as it is only against such workmen who were appointed first that the allegations of unfair labour practice,