Labour and Industrial Relations

Strike is a legitimate weapon available ONLY to workmen (employees) as a collective bargaining tool. Employers can lock out workers but cannot 'strike'. Option A is incorrect because employers don't have strike rights. Option B is incomplete. Option C ('Both 1 and 2') incorrectly suggests employers can strike. Option D is correct - neither employers nor workmen are universally entitled to strike; it's specific to workmen, not both parties.

Trade union leaders and office-bearers have immunity from civil proceedings for acts done in good faith in the course of trade union activities. Section 19 of the Trade Unions Act, 1926 provides this protection to ensure union leaders can perform their duties without fear of civil liability. Option C correctly identifies civil proceedings.

Closure in industrial law can be temporary or permanent. Option D includes: (b) suspension of employment, (c) end of bargaining, (e) permanent closing, and (f) temporary closing. This combination correctly captures closure situations. Item (g) 'not in consequence of industrial dispute' doesn't fit the pattern as closure can happen during or outside disputes.

Lay-off under Section 2(kkk) of the Industrial Disputes Act means the employer's inability to provide work due to reasons beyond their control (shortage of coal, power, raw materials, etc.). It is NOT dismissal, removal, or retirement - the employment relationship continues, and the workman is entitled to compensation. It's a temporary situation.

Under the Industrial Disputes Act, 'workman' is defined as a person employed in any industry to do any manual, unskilled, skilled, technical, clerical or supervisory work for hire or reward. It does NOT include persons employed mainly in managerial or administrative capacity. Option D correctly states that only definition A is correct, excluding managerial positions from the workman definition.

'Closure' refers to the permanent shutting down of a business, establishment, or a part of it. It's distinct from retrenchment (termination of employee services), lay-off (temporary inability to employ), and lockout (employer's action to pressure employees). Closure involves the permanent cessation of work at the establishment and is regulated by specific provisions including the Industrial Disputes Act requiring government permission for closures in certain industries.

Under Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923, liability arises when injury is caused by accident AND occurs in the course of employment. Option C captures both essential elements. Option A lacks the accident requirement, Option B lacks the employment connection, and Option D incorrectly includes injuries outside employment scope.

Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 defines 'industrial dispute' specifically as conflicts between employers and workmen (Section 2(k)). Disputes between employees themselves (inter-employee conflicts) don't fall within this definition. The law contemplates collective industrial action, not personal workplace grievances between co-workers.

Industrial disputes specifically concern matters connected with employment or terms/conditions of labor. The election of a trade union is an internal union governance matter, not directly related to employment disputes between workers and employers. Options A, B, and C all directly relate to employment or labor conditions.

In labor law jurisprudence, the decision of a labor court or industrial tribunal in an industrial dispute is technically called an 'Award,' not a Judgment or Decree. This terminology is specific to industrial dispute resolution mechanisms. 'Relief' is a general legal term for remedies, not specific to labor court verdicts.

Section 2(oo) of the Industrial Disputes Act defines retrenchment but specifically EXCLUDES (i) voluntary retirement, (ii) retirement on reaching superannuation, or (iii) termination as disciplinary measure. The question asks what 'doesn't include,' so the correct answer lists what is EXCLUDED from the definition. Both 'termination of service' as disciplinary punishment and voluntary retirements are specifically carved out from retrenchment definition.

This question asks for chronological order of Supreme Court decisions defining 'employer' under Section 2(g) of Industrial Disputes Act. The cases trace evolution from broad to narrow definition. Western India Automobile Association (1962) came first, followed by others expanding on the concept. The correct sequence (ii)-(i)-(iii)-(iv) matches historical development.