Labour court dismisses former Keltron employees’ plea

In a landmark judgment delivered just before the new Labor Laws came into force, the Kannur Labor Court dismissed the claim petitions of 47 retired employees against Keltron Component Complex Limited (KCCL), a subsidiary of Kerala State Electronic Development Corporation, regarding alleged pending service benefits.

Labor Court judge PS Nishi ruled in favor of the management, rejecting the employees’ plea for calculation and recovery of monetary benefits claimed under the State government’s Wage Revision Order issued on October 28, 2017.

The petitioners, who have served for different periods of time, argued that the revision, effective from April 2012, entitles them to revised wages and related benefits.

They claimed that only 85% of the debts had been distributed, with 15% remaining unpaid.

Management counsel, meanwhile, countered that all final benefits were paid at the time of employees’ retirement, leaving no room for new claims.

He argued that the petitioners who had retired no longer met the definition of workers and that the petitions under Section 33C(2) of the Industrial Disputes Act were legally untenable. Management stated that the 2017 wage revision was implemented in accordance with the Government Decision and the long-term agreement with recognized unions, which remains binding for all employees, including retirees. It was claimed that the request for the remaining 15% of the debts was against the terms of the agreement.

The court decided that the remaining part of the request could not be accepted. He noted that KCCL uniformly implements agreements reached with recognized unions. The court further observed that the petitioners presented no evidence to show that the agreement was broken due to fraud, coercion, or unfair business practices.