The Factory Manager v. The Presiding Officer
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
DATED: 04.11.2015
CORAM:
THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE SATISH K. AGNIHOTRI AND THE HONOURABLE DR.JUSTICE P.DEVADASS W.A.No.1601 OF 2015 AND M.P.NO.1 OF 2015 The Factory Manager, Hindustan Unilever Ltd., (Detergent Division), Vadamangalam, Pondicherry, rep by Regional Legal Manager.
.. Appellant Vs.
1.The Presiding Officer, Labour Court, Puducherry.
2.R.T.Shankar 3.R.Ezhilraj 4.K.Rajaram 5.T.Soundarrajan 6.S.Saminathan 7.D.Vengadapathy 8.S.Kannan 9.S.Krishnakumar 10.D.Nagaradjane 11.M.Neelakandan 12.L.K.Saravanan 13.T.Venkatesan 14.K.Vinayagam 15.S.Ganesan 16.N.Gopi 17.P.Murugaiyan 18.R.Ramani 19.R.Sekar 20.P.Sundar 21.M.Nagarajan 22.V.Sivakumar 23.P.Thirumurugan 24.S.Ayyanar 25.R.Azhagappan 26.J.Dandapani 27.D.Ettiyan 28.S.Ganesan 29.R.Govindan
30.N.Kumar 31.K.Muthukumaran 32.M.Murugan 33.R.Saravanan 34.R.Selvam 35.K.Senguttuvan 36.M.Sivakumar 37.N.Srinivasan 38.K.Velmurugan 39.K.Venkatachalam 40.K.Arumugam 41.A.Frederic Angeles 42.G.Karikalan 43.V.Parthiban 44.S.Vasudevan 45.D.Veerasekaran 46.K.Vijayarangam 47.V.Theerthagiri 48.M.Selvaraj 49.D.Arunkumar 50.K.Ayupkhan 51.S.Baraneedharan 52.P.Kalivaradhan 53.V.Manogaran 54.A.Mariapragasam 55.P.Mourougan 56.S.Sakthivel 57.S.Sankar 58.D.Sudhagar 59.R.Suresh 60.R.Parthiban 61.A.Marie lucien 62.S.Baskar 63.J.Sivakumar 64.V.Iyyappan 65.C.Ramesh 66.K.Sundarasu 67.T.Chinnathambi 68.A.Gopal 69.G.Kangeyan 70.N.Prakash 71.R.Sivakumar 72.R.Venkatesan 73.S.Baskar 74.B.Janakiraman 75.G.Kathiresan 76.K.Kuppusami 77.R.Lakshmanan 78.P.Murugan 79.S.Muthuvel 80.M.Sivakozhundan 81.D.Thulasinathan 82.R.Gouppoussamy
83.S.Ethirasu 84.K.Muruganandam 85.S.Pakkirisamy 86.P.Varadarajan 87.R.Gnanaprakash 88.M.Gunalan 89.D.Kandeeban 90.K.Kumaran 91.K.Mandanagopalan 92.Masilamani 93.V.Meganathan 94.S.Nagoormeeran 95.Natarajan 96.S.Ramesh 97.T.Sandanam 98.K.Sudharsanam 99.K.Venkatasaperumal 100.C.Karuppaiah 101.J.Kondareddy 102.Kumaresan 103.K.Murugaiyan 104.E.Muthu 105.S.Rajaram 106.T.Rameche 107.R.Saravanan 108.S.Sirajutheen 109.G.Subramani 110.S.Souresh 111.M.Thulasingam 112.M.Jaimuruga 113.P.Ilango 114.R.Mariappan 115.S.Mourougane 116.K.Azhaganandam 117.Balasubramanian 118.P.Comarassamy 119.V.Krishnakumar 120.D.Kumarasamy 121.B.Raja 122.S.Rajasekaran 123.D.Ramajothi 124.J.Sivaraj 125.S.Thamaraikannan 126.R.Tulasidharan 127.Narayanamoorthy 128.V.Krishnarajusomaya 129.R.Saravanan 130.P.Arumugam 131.D.Krishnamurthi 132.P.Sunil Kumar 133.S.Thirumavalavan 134.M.Venkatachalapathy 135.S.Vettrivel
136.R.Saminathan 137.S.Santhanampillai 138.M.Rameche 139.V.Duraisamy 140.Gunasekaran 141.S.Jayakumar 142.V.Jeyaraman 143.N.Krishnan 144.B.Kumar 145.M.Muthukumaran 146.V.Rangadurai 147.R.Baskaran 148.M.Jayakumar 149.K.Kesavan 150.R.Lekshmanan 151.S.Rajaraman 152.V.Sivanandiyan 153.R.Srinivasan 154.V.Loganathan 155.E.Murugaiyan 156.P.Murugan 157.M.Ananthan 158.K.Ramesh 159.S.Saravanan 160.M.Senthilkannan 161.K.Senthilnathan 162.T.Sundararajan 163.V.Veerapandian 164.B.Mani 165.V.Sanmugam 166.K.Sendilmurugan 167.Ganeshkumar 168.Mani 169.M.Radjou 170.J.Ramamurthi 171.M.Arunan 172.K.Elumalai 173.D.Kandhan 174.R.Mohan 175.D.Palanisamy 176.E.Perumal 177.J.Sivakumar 178.K.Suresh 179.V.Anbazhagan 180.S.Ramalingam 181.A.Amanullah 182.S.Vedhagiri 183.K.Alaxander 184.A.Elango 185.R.Jayaraj 186.N.Mayakrishnan 187.N.Murugan 188.S.Murugan
189.S.Prabaharan 190.S.Ramesh 191.K.Senthilvelan 192.M.Subramanian 193.V.K.Anbalagan 194.R.Ravi 195.V.Vissouvanadan 196.E.Ambrose Samidoure 197.D.Aroumougam 198.A.Dhanasekaran 199.P.Rajendran 200.K.Ramesh babu 201.L.Sivakumar 202.R.Gnanavel 203.D.Gurumoorthy 204.R.Kumaresan 205.P.Mandjiny 206.C.Sakthivel 207.S.Selvaraj 208.E.Tamizhmani 209.S.James 210.K.Asokan 211.S.Gnanasekaran 212.R.Joseph Raju 213.G.Parasuraman 214.K.Saravanan 215.S.Uma Sankar 216.E.Ramesh 217.N.Pramod 218.L.Balasoubramanien 219.K.Kamalakannan 220.A.Navaneetha kannan 221.S.Mourouguessane 222.S.Selvaradjou 223.V.Selvavinayagam 224.D.Sugu 225.S.Suresh 226.G.Tirunavukarasu 227.P.Adiamane 228.P.N.R.Selvasekar 229.D.Vincent de paul 230.M.Kandhasamy 231.V.Saravanan 232.K.Selvam 233.R.Arul 234.S.Ayanare 235.A.Chanbatcha 236.R.Devanathan 237.S.Elais 238.R.Lakshmanasamy 239.K.Makesh 240.S.Murugaiyan 241.A.G.Murugan
242.D.Purushothaman 243.A.Rajaram 244.B.Saravanan 245.K.Sivamani 246.R.Veeramani 247.S.A.Veeramani 248.M.Vengadesan 249.G.Ezhumalai 250.B.Gopalakrishnan 251.M.Palanivel 252.K.Venkatasubbu 253.O.Babu 254.K.Vengadesan 255.S.Senthilkumar 256.M.Sivanandham 257.S.Sivamoorthy 258.R.Prabakaran 259.S.Rajaram 260.A.Suresh 261.R.Karthikeyan 262.K.Sivakumar 263.R.Thangadurai 264.P.Balachandar 265.R.Dhakshinamoorthy 266.K.Iyyanar 267.G.Pugazhchozhan 268.L.John Louiskennedy 269.D.Perumal 270.A.Thajudheen 271.S.Suresh Kumar 272.S.Rajesh 273.P.Canabady 274.S.Gobi 275.A.S.Sankar 276.M.Sentilcoumar 277.T.Sasikumar 278.S.Ashok rep by Duraimurugan President, Hindustan Unilever Employees Union, 25, Bharathi Street, Uthiravaganipet, Villianur P.O., Puducherry-605 110.
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Respondents Appeal filed under Clause 15 of the Letters Patent against the order passed by this Court dated 29.09.2015 passed in M.P.No.1 of 2015 in W.P.No.20216 of 2013.
Petitions praying that in these circumstances stated therein and in the affidavits filed. Therewith the High court will be pleased
i) to vacate the stay granted on 24.07.2013 in M.P.No.1 of 2013 in W.P.No.20216 of 2013, award costs (in M.P.No.1/2015 in WP No.20216/2013) and;
ii) to stay the operation, implementation and enforcement of the order in C.P.No.4 of 2011, dated 02.01.2013 passed by the 1st Respondent herein (in M.P.No.1/2013) pending disposal of WP.20216/2013.
Writ petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, seeking a writ of certiorari to call for the records from the file of the first respondent herein in C.P.No.4 of 2011 and quash the order dated 02.01.2013 For appellants : Mr.Sanjay Mohan for M/s.S.Ramasubramanian & Asso.
JUDGMENT
(Judgment of the Court was made by SATISH K. AGNIHOTRI, J.) The instant appeal arises from the order dated 29th September, 2015 passed in M.P.No.1 of 2015 in W.P.No.20216 of 2013.
Questioning the legality and validity of the order dated 2nd January, 2013 passed by the Labour Court in C.P.No.4 of 2011, the appellant management filed the writ petition. The learned Single Judge, while issuing notice, stayed the operation of the impugned order dated 2nd January, 2013 passed in C.P.No.4 of 2011 subject to depositing a sum of Rs.65,00,000/- to the credit of C.P.No.4 of 2011 on the file of the Labour Court, Puducherry. Thereafter, M.P.No.1 of 2015 was filed by the respondent employees, seeking to vacate the interim stay granted earlier. The learned Single Judge, vide impugned order dated 29th September, 2015 modified the earlier order, as under: " 5.
Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and arguments advanced by the learned counsels on either side and on perusing the typed set of papers, the Management filed a counter statement wherein they revealed that the employees do not cover the period prior to August 2007 for receiving the weekly day of rest, which is mandatory as per Labour law. As such, the employees are initiated to receive a portion of the deposited amount. Hence, this Court permits the employees to withdraw a sum of Rs.30,00,000/-, after filing a memo along with a copy of this order before the Labour Court. Accordingly, the above Miscellaneous Petition No.1 of 2015 in W.P.No.20216 of 2013 is ordered."
Thus, this appeal at the instance of the management. The learned counsel appearing for the management would submit that the respondent employees are not entitled to payment of wages on the rest day under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act. It is further contended that if the respondent employees are permitted to withdraw the amount, the same may not be recovered in the event the management succeeds. The first respondent Labour Court, vide order dated 2nd January, 2013 allowed the claim petition filed by the respondent employees, directing the management appellant to pay weekly off salary from 1996 till date as per the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Thereagainst, the writ petition was filed.
During the pendency of the writ petition, the aforestated impugned order was passed. There are in total 277 employees. If the association of the said employees is permitted to withdraw Rs.30 lakhs, the workmen may not be entitled to have substantial sum. Thus, at this stage, when the matter is sub judice and the interim relief is also subject to final decision in the pending writ petition, we are not inclined to examine the merit as to whether the respondent employees are entitled to payment of rest day wages or not. The issue is at large in the writ petition.
Having regard to the fact situation, we are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order. However, we make it clear that the interim order sought to be impugned shall not be cited in other cases as the same is passed in the peculiar facts of the case and will not create a precedent. Accordingly, the writ appeal is dismissed. No costs. Consequently, connected miscellaneous petition is closed.
Sd/- Asst.Registrar (CO) /true copy/ Sub Asst. Registrar vvk To The Presiding Officer, Labour Court, Puducherry.
+1 cc to M/s.S.Ramasubramanian and Associates, Advocates, sr.60792 W.A.No.1601 of 2015 bvr co kra 23.11.2015