The Hindu : Front Page : TNSTC recruitment move fuels litigations

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Thursday, Oct 20, 2005

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TNSTC recruitment move fuels litigations

Staff Reporter

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MADURAI: The recent move by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation to recruit drivers and conductors is facing a spate of litigations. Drivers and conductors, who were terminated from service in the past, have moved a batch of writ petitions before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court against the current recruitment process.

Eleven writ petitions moved by some of the 190 conductors who were orally terminated from service by the Kumbakonam Division III of the TNSTC in Karaikudi in 2002 came up for hearing on Wednesday.

Disposing of the petitions, Justice D. Murugesan directed the Managing Director of the TNSTC to consider their representations in the light of a Division Bench judgement of the Madras High Court in 1997, which made it clear that workers were entitled to be reinstated if section 25-F of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 was not complied with during their retrenchment.

As per the Act, any workman who had completed 240 days in an industry should be given a month's notice in writing indicating the reason for retrenchment.

The Judge also made it clear that any appointment made by the Corporation, before disposing of the representations made by the petitioners, shall be subject to the outcome of the representations.

According to the petitioners, they were among 310 conductors appointed through the employment exchange in 1998. The TNSTC in 2002 confirmed the services of only 190 conductors and the rest were orally terminated. Thereafter, several representations were made to reinstate them, but, overlooking the plea, the Corporation on October 7 conducted interviews for recruiting fresh hands, the petitioners added.

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