BETHANY RUBBER ESTATE Vs. INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL QUILON

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner is a Superintendent of the Bethany Rubber Estate, Ranni. The 1st respondent is the Industrial Tribunal, Quilon, the 2nd, the Ranni Plantation Labour Union and the 3rd, the State of Kerala.

(2.) Certain disputes between the Management of the Rubber Estate and their Workmen were referred for adjudication under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The third of the five issues referred was in the following terms.

(3.) The minimum rates of wages payable to such workmen had been fixed under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (Act 11 of 1948) and the contention of the petitioner is that as a result the reference of issue No. 3 for adjudication by the Government under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (Act 14 of 1947) and the award of the Tribunal thereon are without jurisdiction and should be set aside. Paragraph 7 of the affidavit in support of the petition states the contention as follows :