FEDERATION OF TAMIL NADU NEWSPRINT AND PAPERS OPPANTHA THOZHILALAR SANGAMS AND ORS. Vs. THE CHAIRMAN, TAMIL NADU STATE ADVISORY CONTRACT LABOUR BOARD AND THE SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioners -Sangams (in short "the petitioners") have come forward with these writ petitions, seeking following directions:

(2.) THE case of the petitioners is that the members of their Sangams are employed in the perennial nature of works of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) in the manufacturing process and incidental thereto and that they are not regularized even after more than 27 years of continuous service and kept in an archaic and primitive condition, thereby denying them livelihood with dignity. It is submitted by them that they have raised a dispute with regard to abolition of Contract Labours under the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 (hereinafter referred to as "the Act, 1970"). When the dispute has been pending, though a Sub -Committee in terms of Sections 4 and 5 of the Act has been constituted, no progress has taken place. In the meantime, two persons in the committee have expired and the Conciliation Officer under the Act has also retired from service in 2002, pursuant to which, the workers are languishing for the last 14 years.

(3.) THOUGH various points have been raised in the affidavit, this Court is not inclined to deal with all, as it may hurdle the adjudicatory process and also the input that is going to be supplied by the Advisory Committee. It is open to the petitioners to raise all the grounds available to them on the basis of the Sub -Committee's report to be submitted, as the matter is going to be placed before the State Government.