Madras High Court directs Tangedco to absorb 900 workers

Chennai: The Madras high court has dismissed a petition by Tangedco challenging an order of  the labour court, Cuddalore, to absorb over 900 contract workers. The Tangedco officials had failed to prove the case, the court said.

The matter relates to P.Kothandam and 900 other contract workers, who moved the labour court, Cuddalore, seeking a directive to  Tangedco to absorb them as permanent workers as they had worked for more than 480 days continuously in 24 calender months.

In 2007, the labour court directed Tangedco to absorb them. Earlier, when workers approached the high court seeking a direction to implement the orders of labour court, officials had informed the court that the workers obtained the labour court orders using fake documents.

A single judge by in an order dated September 16, 2011, directed  Tangedco to comply with the labour court award. Similarly, officials had informed the Supreme Court that the orders were forged. In the present review petition, Tangedco officials submitted that the awards were fabricated.

After perusing the files relating to the labour court award, a Division bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and T.S. Sivagnanam  dismissed the review petitions filed by  Tangedco.

The Bench said “it is clear that the stand taken by the board that the awards are fabricated has not been substantiated. We are not inclined to disbelieve the stand taken by the Inspector of Labour, Cuddalore, in his counter affidavit coupled with production of the original awards. Thus, we reject the stand taken by the board that the awards are fabricated awards.”