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Labour Law I · Unit 6

Strikes, lock-outs, lay-off, retrenchment and closure

Unit 6 of Labour Law and Industrial Relations – I (syllabus: Module 6 — ID Act 1947, ss. 22–25, Ch. VA and VB; IR Code Ch. IX–X). Below: what the unit covers, the provisions it turns on, and the cases an examiner expects you to name.

What this unit covers

  • When is a strike or lock-out illegal under the Industrial Disputes Act?
  • Are workmen entitled to wages for the period of a strike?
  • Does 'retrenchment' in s. 2(oo) mean surplusage, or every termination?
  • What are the conditions precedent to a valid retrenchment under s. 25F?
  • When must an employer obtain prior Government permission to lay off, retrench or close down?

Treat that list as a self-test: recite each topic's rule from memory before you open its cases.

Provisions

Leading cases

  • The provision itself - Industrial Disputes Act 1947
  • Syndicate Bank v K. Umesh Nayak
  • Punjab Land Development and Reclamation Corporation Ltd v Presiding Officer
  • Pramod Jha v State of Bihar
  • Orissa Textile & Steel Ltd v State of Orissa

Full case summaries

Exam questions on this unit