Case: H. P. Mineral and Industrial Development Corporation Employees and apos; Union Vs. State of Himachal Pradesh and Others

clause (oo) of Section 2 is also subject to the context and the subject-matter. Section 25-F prescribed the conditions precedent to a valid retrenchment of workers as discussed earlier. Very briefly, the conditions prescribed are the giving of one months notice indicating the reasons for retrenchment and payment of wages for the period of notice. Section 25-FF provides for compensation to workmen in case of transfer of undertakings. Very briefly, it provides that every workman who has been in continuous service for not less than one year in an undertaking immediately before such transfer shall be entitled to notice and compensation in accordance with the provisions of Section 25-F as if the workman had been retrenched. Section 25-FFA provides that sixty days notice must be given of intention to close down any undertaking and Section 25-FFF provides for compensation to workmen in case of closing down of undertakings. Very briefly stated Section 25-FFF which has been already discussed lays down that where an undertaking is closed for any reason whatsoever, every workman who has been in continuous service for not less than one year in that undertaking immediately before such closure shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), be entitled to notice and compensation in accordance with the provisions of Section 25-F, as if the workman had been retrenched. 6. From the aforementioned observations it is evident that the definition of retrenchment as defined in Section 2(oo) of the Act has to be read in the context of Sections 25-FF and 25-FFF of the Act and if thus read retrenchment under Section 2(oo) does not cover termination of service as a result of closure or transfer of an undertaking though such termination has been assimilated to retrenchment for certain purposes, namely, the compensation payable to the workmen whose services are terminated as a result of such closure. In that view of the matter Section 25-N which deals with retrenchment cannot apply to the present case where termination of the services of the workmen was brought about as a result of the closure of the undertaking. 7. There is one more reason why Section 25-N cannot be made applicable to the workmen in the present case. Sections 25-N and 25-O were inserted in the Act by Act No. 32 of 1976 whereby Chapter V-B was introduced in the Act. Section 25-N imposed restrictions in the matter of retrenchment of workmen employed in large undertakings while Section 25-O dealt with the procedure for closing down such undertakings. Section 25-O was held to be unconstitutional by this Court in Excel Wear case. The striking down of Section 25-O would not, ipso facto, result in enlargement of the ambit of Section 25-N so as to cover termination of services of workmen as a result of closure which was otherwise outside the ambit of Section 25-N. We are, therefore, unable to uphold the contention of Shri Sharma that Section 25-N was applicable in the present case and it was obligatory for the Management of the responded-Company to give three months notice as required by Section 25-N. Since Section 25-O was not available on account of the said provision having been struck down by this Court the only protection that was available to the workmen whose services were terminated as a result of closure was that contained in Sections 25-FFA and 25-FFF of the Act. It is not disputed that both these provisions have been complied with in the present case. 8. Another contention that has been urged by Shri Sharma was that before the closure of the undertaking the workmen were asked to give their option either for absorption by the State Government in some government departments/public sector undertakings or for having retrenchment benefits by the respondent-Company by order dated 19-7-1983 and that in response to the said order the workmen had given their option for absorption in government service or in the service of any other corporation. The submission is that in view of the fact that the workmen were required to exercise their option in this regard and the workmen having exercised their option for absorption it was obligatory on the part of the State Government to have absorbed the workmen in government service or in the service of some other public sector corporation. In this connection, it may be mentioned that the appellant-Union had earlier filed a writ petition (CWP No. 518 of 1984) in the High Court wherein question of absorption was raised but the said writ petition was dismissed in view of the dispute having been referred to the Tribunal for adjudication. The said order of the High Court in the writ petition has become final insofar as the absorption of the workmen is concerned. Moreover, no direction can be given to the State Government to absorb the workmen in government service or in other public sector corporation because in the order dated 19-7-1983 no specific assurance was given regarding absorption to the workmen. In the said order it was stated : The option will not be taken as granted and the final decision vests with the Management/State Government. The order passed by this Court in G. Govinda Rajulu v. A.P. State Construction Corpn. on which reliance has been placed by Shri Sharma, cannot, therefore, assist the appellant-Union in the present case. 9. Shri Sharma has also invite our attention to the order passed by this Court on 26-7-1991 in (Himachal Worsted Mills Staff Assn. v. State of H.P. [CA No. 2957 of 1991]) wherein it was directed that compensation at the rate of Rs 40, 000 per person in full and final settlement of the claim for compensation should paid to the workmen whose services were terminated on account of closure of the Himachal Worsted Mills Ltd. The said order made in the facts and circumstances of that case cannot be applied to the present case because here we find that the workmen have been paid compensation and the benefits in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Decision (1 = appeal accepted, 0 = rejected): 0

Explanation:
0[ds]The submission of Shri Sharma is that since termination of services of the workmen constitutes retrenchment under Section 2(oo) of the Act the provisions of SectionN were applicable to the present case and the workmen could be retrenched only by giving three months notice which was not given in this case5. We are unable to accept this contention. It is no doubt true that in Section 2(oo) the expression retrenchment is defined to mean the termination by the employer of the service of a workman for any reason whatsoever otherwise than as a punishment inflicted by way of disciplinary action and categories referred to in clauses (a) to (c) have been expressly excluded from the ambit of the said definition. But as far back as in 1957 a Constitution Bench of this Court in Hariprasad Shivshankar Shukla v. A.D. Divikar had laid down that retrenchment under Section 2(oo) of the Act would not cover termination of services of all workmen as a result of the closure of the business6. From the aforementioned observations it is evident that the definition of retrenchment as defined in Section 2(oo) of the Act has to be read in the context of SectionsF of the Act and if thus read retrenchment under Section 2(oo) does not cover termination of service as a result of closure or transfer of an undertaking though such termination has been assimilated to retrenchment for certain purposes, namely, the compensation payable to the workmen whose services are terminated as a result of such closure. In that view of the matter SectionN which deals with retrenchment cannot apply to the present case where termination of the services of the workmen was brought about as a result of the closure of the undertakingThe striking down of SectionO would not, ipso facto, result in enlargement of the ambit of SectionN so as to cover termination of services of workmen as a result of closure which was otherwise outside the ambit of Section. We are, therefore, unable to uphold the contention of Shri Sharma that SectionN was applicable in the present case and it was obligatory for the Management of they to give three months notice as required by SectionO was not available on account of the said provision having been struck down by this Court the only protection that was available to the workmen whose services were terminated as a result of closure was that contained in SectionsF of the Act. It is not disputed that both these provisions have been complied with in the present caseThe submission is that in view of the fact that the workmen were required to exercise their option in this regard and the workmen having exercised their option for absorption it was obligatory on the part of the State Government to have absorbed the workmen in government service or in the service of some other public sector corporation. In this connection, it may be mentioned that then had earlier filed a writ petition (CWP No. 518 of 1984) in the High Court wherein question of absorption was raised but the said writ petition was dismissed in view of the dispute having been referred to the Tribunal for adjudication. The said order of the High Court in the writ petition has become final insofar as the absorption of the workmen is concerned. Moreover, no direction can be given to the State Government to absorb the workmen in government service or in other public sector corporation because in the order dated3 no specific assurance was given regarding absorption to the workmen9. Shri Sharma has also invite our attention to the order passed by this Court on1 in (Himachal Worsted Mills Staff Assn. v. State of H.P. [CA No. 2957 of 1991]) wherein it was directed that compensation at the rate of Rs 40, 000 per person in full and final settlement of the claim for compensation should paid to the workmen whose services were terminated on account of closure of the Himachal Worsted Mills Ltd. The said order made in the facts and circumstances of that case cannot be applied to the present case because here we find that the workmen have been paid compensation and the benefits in accordance with the provisions of the Act.