GENERAL MANAGER PUNJAB ROADWAYS AMRITSAR Vs. SURJIT SINGH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) As identical questions of law and facts are involved, therefore, I propose to decide the indicated writ petitions, by virtue of this common judgment, in order to avoid the repetition. However, the facts, which need a necessary mention for the limited purpose of deciding the core controversy involved in the instant writ petitions, have been extracted from (1) CWP No. 4906 of 1992 titled as General Manager, Punjab Roadways, Amritsar and another v. Surjit Singh and another, in this respect.

(2.) Concisely, the relevant facts, culminating in the commencement, relevant for disposal of the present writ petitions and emanating from the record, are that respondent No.1 (in all the writ petitions) (for brevity "workmen") were working as Conductors in the employment of the petitioner-General Manager, Punjab Roadways, Amritsar (for short ''managernent"). They were charge sheeted for their misconduct and departmental enquiries were held against them. Having completed all the codal formalities, the workmen were held guilty and penalty of stoppage of their annual increments was imposed on them.

(3.) The workmen filed the applications before the Labour Court claiming the monetary benefits of increments, bonus and uniform allowance etc., invoking the provisions of section 33-C(2) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (hereinafter to be referred as "the Act"). The management contested the applications on the ground of their maintainability as well as on merits, as the workmen had no existing rights to claim the arrears of wages of the increments, which were withheld due to the punishment orders passed by the competent authority.