The Supreme Court last week directed the management of Kenduadih colliery of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) in Jharkhand to pay Rs.4 lakh each to 88 skilled workers who had moved an appeal under the banner of Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh. They had complained that though they were working for several years they were not regularised and were discriminated against. The dispute was referred to the industrial tribunal in 1993 and it found that they were performing skilled job of a permanent and perennial nature. While those in other collieries of BCCL were regularised, these workers were given a “step-motherly” treatment. The tribunal ordered the management to absorb them. The dispute continued for several years travelling from the high court to the Supreme Court and back. The Supreme Court noted that over this period, many of them would have become superannuated. Therefore, it put an end to the litigation by ordering the payment. In a similar case from Dhanbad last month, the
court had ordered payment of Rs.2 lakh each to unskilled colliery workers who had fought a legal battle for 27 years.
Copy of Supreme Court order:
http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/img...filename=44321
court had ordered payment of Rs.2 lakh each to unskilled colliery workers who had fought a legal battle for 27 years.
Copy of Supreme Court order:
http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/img...filename=44321