THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER, TAMIL NADU ELECTRICITY AND DISTRIBUTION CORPORATION LIMITED Vs. N. VENKATACHALAM AND ORS.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The orders passed by the Labour Court in Computation Petitions, are sought to be quashed in the present writ petitions. The issues involved in the writ petitions are one and the same and hence, they are disposed of by this common order.

(2.) The writ petitioner is the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.

(3.) The learned counsel appearing on behalf of the writ petitioner states that the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board brought out a scheme for payment of ex-gratia in the wage revision talks held with the writ petitioner-Board and the Trade Unions. Accordingly, the writ petitioner-Board issued the proceedings on 13.12.1996. As per the scheme, the contract labourers, who have completed 5 years of regular service as on 31.03.1996 or 31.03.1997 and have worked for 30 days in a year is entitled to claim ex-gratia. Pursuant to the orders of the writ petitioner-Board, the officials of the writ petitioner- Electricity Board identified the contract labourers engaged by them for the purpose of payment of ex-gratia to the eligible contract labourers.