BHARGAVA, J. - (1.) THIS is a consolidated appeal brought by special leave by the workman of the Kankanee Colliery of Bhowra Kankanee Collieries, Ltd., and Amlabad Colliery of Bhowra Kankanee Collieries Company, Ltd., hereinafter referred to as the appellant, against an award made by the Central Government Industrial Tribunal, Dhanbad. The respondents in the two appeals are the Collieries Companies, Ltd., mentioned above.
(2.) THE facts show that these two collieries, of which the managing agents were Karamchand Thapar & Bros., Ltd., were taken over by Karamchand Thapar & Bros., Ltd., sometime in the year 1954. At that time, a dispute arose between the workmen and the new owners about the terms and conditions of service, and the service rules which were to apply to the workmen of these collieries after this transfer of ownership. The workmen served a strike notice containing their charter of demands on 24 December 1954. Eight demands were raised in that charter. For purposes of this appeal we need only mention demands (1), (2), (3) and (5) which were as follows : "(1) That the service conditions of all the employees including their grading, increments, leave, etc., should remain unaltered under the management of the purchaser company. (2) That the existing facilities and the privileges including medical facilities, free supply of kerosene, electricity, accommodation and other materials should not be curtailed after 31 December 1954. (3) That the privilege of pension scheme which forms one of the service conditions should remain in force even after the change-over and the employees who are being retrenched or forced to retire should get retrenchment compensation over and above the pension due. The purchaser-company should also be held responsible for payment of all such pensions.(5) That the employees of the above four collieries should not be governed by the service rules of Karamchand Thapar and Bros., Ltd. The certified standing orders in force for the colliery should only be followed." On 14 January 1955, there was an agreement between the employers and the workmen which was reduced into writing. This agreement contained five terms out of which only terms (3) and (5) need be mentioned as they are relevant for purposes of this appeal; they are as follows : "(3) Agreed that the existing service conditions and facilities will be continued, excepting pension, the responsibility for which will be borne by Eastern Coal Company, Ltd., according to the existing rules and that the question of payment of pension is now left over for amicable settlement between Eastern Coal Company, Ltd., and the union. Agreed also that Bhowra Kankanee collieries, Ltd., will have no liability regarding pension for past and future services of workmen. (5) Agreed that the other demands are dropped by the union."
(3.) AFTER this agreement had been arrived at, no notice was served by either party terminating this settlement and, consequently, this settlement continued in force. While it was still in force, the employers compulsorily retired five workmen working in Amlabad Colliery in the ground that they had attained the age of 55 years, which was the age of superannuation laid down in rule 11(c) of the rules to the employees of Karamchand Thapar & Bros., Ltd. Thereupon, the workmen raised an industrial dispute and challenged this order of compulsory retirement of the eleven workmen on the ground that the workmen were not governed by the service rules of Karamchand Thapar & Bros. and were, on the other hand, governed by the earlier rules which were applicable to the employees of the Kankanee Colliery and the Amlabad Colliery prior to their being taken over by Karamchand Thapar & Bros. The industrial disputes relating to the compulsory retirement of these eleven workmen of the two collieries were referred by the Central Government to the Central Industrial Tribunal, Dhanbad. The two disputes were taken together by the industrial tribunal as the question involved was identical.On behalf of the employers, a preliminary objection was raised that the earlier settlement dated 14 January, 1955 was still in force, and, under that agreement, the service rules of Karamchand Thapar & Bros. had become applicable to those workmen. The workmen could not, therefore, raise these industrial disputes while that settlement was still in force. The tribunal accepted this plea and held that the two references were invalid and decided those references in favour of the employees. The present appeal is directed against that order of the tribunal. In this special appeal, again, the main point urged before us was that the tribunal was incorrect in holding that under the agreement dated 14 January, 1955, the service rules or Karamchand Thapar and Bros. became applicable to these workmen. The view taken by the tribunal was that demand (5) in the charter of demands had been dropped by the workmen under Cl. (5) of the agreement and, consequently, this plea was no longer open to the workmen. On proper interpretation of the charter of demands and the terms of the agreement, we are of the view that the tribunal was correct in giving this decision. ;