NLC: Madras High Court orders NLC Workers’ Union to end strike amid dispute settlement | News from Chennai

Chennai: Madras High Court he retained NLC Jeeva Oppantha Thozilalar Sangam from recourse to strike until further orders, and directed the management NIC India Limited, Neyveli and the union to approach the dispute resolution committee to settle their disputes.
A division bench passed the interim order in an appeal filed by the NLC challenging a single order of the judge dated October 4, which ordered the constitution of a high-level committee to discuss and resolve the dispute between the management and the contractual employees. The NLC alleged that the union was operating and acting in violation of the Trade Union Act and was preventing the company, which is a public utility, from functioning normally.
Regarding an instruction given by the single judge directing CNL to approach the industrial tribunal for redress against the strike announced by the union, the NLC stated, “it is trite in law that labor tribunals/courts are not empowered to pass provisional. order.”
“In the absence of these, the findings and conclusions of the single judge to approach the Industrial Tribunals/Tribunals for relief are contrary and unsustainable in law,” the NLC said. The Single Judge overlooked the fact that the statutory forums created under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act are not vested with the power/jurisdiction to remedy and/or decide the situations as present in the case at hand, the NLC added.
“The legality and/or illegality of a strike is prima facie to be determined on the basis of the unassailable documents of the parties together with the provisions of the ID Act,” the company said. The issue pertains to a strike call launched by the union for contractual employees pressing for a 16-point demand, including regularization of their employment.