Hyderabad:The Telangana High Court said that Air India, a public sector undertaking at that time, should act as a model employer in paying gratuity to its workers. The court opined that though the gratuity had not been included as per the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, the workers were entitled for the payment.
Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka was dealing with a petition filed by Air India Ltd challenging the orders of the deputy chief labour commissioner (central), Hyderabad, who directed the company, that has since been privatized, to pay gratuity to the 13 workers, who were employees of the contractor MKR Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Works.
They raised claims against the ‘principal employer’, Indian Airlines, for payment of gratuity for the period they worked on the premises of the Central Training Establishment (CTE) at Ferozguda, Secunderabad, for Air India on behalf of Indian Airlines.As appellate authority, the deputy chief labour commissioner had directed Air India to pay the gratuity. Challenging the same, Air India had approached the High Court.
Justice Bheemapaka opined that the argument of the Air India was not sustainable, since as a principal employer its duty went much beyond supervising the work of workers and extended to the implementation of labour laws and upholding the spirit of the Constitution in right earnest and also respecting values of equity and dignity of labour.
