MANAGEMENT OF BURMAH SHELL OIL STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION CO OF INDIA LTD Vs. INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL ANDHRAPRADESH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE appellant company is a leading Oil Storage and Distributing company. The company has eight port wise installations, 146 company owned upcountry depots, 4128 retail pump outlets and 41 airfield outlets.

(2.) IN Andhra Pradesh, however, the appellant Company has seven depots of Burmah Shell. The main functions of the Depots are (1)storage of the company products like petrol, diesel oil, kerosene oil and lubricating oil and (2) distribution of the said company products to retailers, agents and customers with the help of the company's tank lorries. Each depot was controlled by the Depot Superintendent. The workmen manning the depots were of two categories-general workmen and lorry drivers. The functions discharged by them are : The company lorry drivers ply the oil tank lorries for distributing the company products and the general workmen at each depot attend to filling in the tank lorries, operate the houses, clean the company lorries and move on the company lorries for the purpose of distribution. In each depot there were less than 20 workmen working.

(3.) THIS method of operation of the seven depots was in vogue till april, 1971. In May, 1971 the company handed over the distribution work to contractors who employ contract labour and thus closed down their own.