BALAKRISHNA PILLAI Vs. ANANT ENGINEERING WORKS PRIVATE LIMITED

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This is a petition by 34 workmen of the first respondent concern against the decision of the Second Additional Authority under the Payment of Wages Act, in Applications Nos. 229 to 262 of 1967.

(2.) Briefly the facts leading to the petition are as follows :

(3.) Sometime in the year 1968 the workers were laid-off for ten days and they were paid wages to the extent of 50% of their normal wages for the said period of ten days. The workers, therefore, filed the aforesaid applications before the Authority under the Payment of Wages Act claiming full wages for the period of ten days on the ground that the Model Standing Orders which enabled the employer to lay-off the workmen did not apply to them, since at the relevant time the workers employed in the first respondent-concern were less than 100. The contention of the workmen before the Authority, therefore, was that under the contract of service they were entitled to full wages for the said period and the payment of half wages only, amounted to deduction of wages.