Act like model employer, government firm told

CHENNAI: A corporation being the State under Article 12 of the Constitution, it should behave like a model employer and should not indulge in unfair labour practice, which was prohibited under section 25T of the Industrial Disputes Act, the Madras High Court has held. Justice D Hariparanthaman made the observation last week while disposing of the writ petitions from S Sundar, B Vickraman and P Denson. The judge directed the Arasu Rubber Corporation Limited in Nagercoil to regularise the services of the petitioners on completion of 480 days with all monetary benefits by granting scale of pay and other benefits applicable to the last grade within six weeks.The petitioners said, they joined in 1970s on daily wages in the Plantations, which were under the forest department. The Government Rubber Plantations became Arasu Rubber Corporation, a company fully owned by the state government from October 1, 1984. They were working there without interruption. But, their services were not regularised.The judge said a plantation, as defined in Plantations Labour Act, was covered under section 2 (3) (b) of the Permanent Status to Workmen Act. If the industrial establishment was covered by the Act, as per sec 3 of the Permanent Status to Workmen Act, every workman, who was in continuous service for 480 days in a period of 24 calendar months, shall be made permanent.  The corporation admitted that the petitioners were in continuous service for over 30 years. Therefore, they were entitled to regularisation as per sec 3 of the Permanent Status to Workmen Act, the judge added.