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Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) and Ors. Vs. Md. Tajul Islam and Ors.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF BANGLADESH (APPELLATE DIVISION)

Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal Nos. 823-830 of 2012

Decided On: 06.03.2016

Appellants: Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) and Ors. Vs. Respondent: Md. Tajul Islam and Ors.

Hon’ble Judges/Coram: Syed Mahmud Hossain, Hasan Foez Siddique and Bazlur Rahman, JJ.

Counsels: For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: Mainul Hosein, Senior Advocate instructed by Md. Aftab Hossain, Advocate-on-record

For Respondents/Defendant: A.M. Amin Uddin, Senior Advocate instructed by Zainul Abedin, Advocate-on-Record

JUDGMENT

Bazlur Rahman, J.

  1. These eight Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal came from a common judgment passed by the High Court Division in Writ Petition Nos. 555 of 2011, 556 of 2011, 557 of 2011, 558 of 2011, 559 of 2011, 755 of 2011, 756 of 2011 and 757 of 2011 making the rules therein absolute with a direction upon the leave petitioners to allow the respondent - writ petitioners to be in their employments till completion of the sixtieth year of their age. The High Court Division also directed to make necessary arrangement for payments of their all service benefits treating 60 years of their age as their retirement age.

  2. In their writ petitions, the writ petitioners stated that they were appointed in between years of 1975 and 1978 in the service of ’the North Bengal Sugar Mills Ltd., at Gopalpur of Natore, an enterprise of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC). Under the provision of section 14A of the Public Corporation (Management Co-ordination) Ordinance 1986, they were entitled to continue in their employment as permanent workers till attending the age of sixtieth years.

  3. But the employer Mills authority by eight memos; issued on 24-10-2009 to writ petitioner of writ petition No. 555 of 2011, on 30-6-2009 to writ petitioner of writ petition No. 556 of 2011, on 30-6-2009 to the writ petitioner of writ petition No. 557 of 2011, on 30-6-2009 to the writ petitioner of writ petition No. 558 of 2011, on 29-6-2009 to the writ petitioner of writ petition No. 559 of 2011, on 16-11-2008 to the writ petitioner of writ petition No. 755 of 2011, on 4-3-2009 to the writ petitioner of writ petition No. 756 of 2011, and on 12-3-2009 to writ petitioner of writ petition No. 757 of 2011; directed, them to go on retirement on the ground of attaining 57years of their age.

  4. The second leave petitioner, North Bengal Sugar Mills authority as a writ respondent contested the rules contending that the writ petitioners being workers employed in North Bengal Sugar Mills Ltd., a public limited company put under the management and control of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation and as per section 28 of the Bangladesh labour Law, 2006 should retire at the age of 57 years.

  5. The High Court Division, however, considering the cases of the parties came to a conclusion that provisions of the Public Corporation (Management Co-ordination) Ordnance, 1986 would apply in case of the writ petitioners and, as such, as per provision of section 14A they were entitled to continue in their employment as permanent workers till attaining the age of sixtieth year.

  6. Mr. Mainul Hosain, the learned Counsel appearing for the leave petitioners submitted that the High Court Division failed to appreciate that the writ petitions were not maintainable as the writ petitioners were not workers but employees of a nationalised enterprise and, as such, public servants within the meaning of section 2(d) of the Public Servant Retirement act, 1974. Mr. Hosein further submitted that the writ petitioners being workers employed in North Bengal Sugar Mills Ltd., a public limited company put under the management and control of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation should retire at the age of 57 years as per section 28 of the Bangladesh labour Law, 2006.

  7. Mr. AM Amin Uddin, learned Counsel, appearing on behalf of the respondent-writ petitioners of all the CPLA on the other hand referring to item No. 3 of the schedule to the Public Corporation (Management Coordination) Ordinance, 1986 submitted that all the respondent-writ petitioners being the workers of North Bengal Sugar Mills Ltd. as an enterprise and unit of Bangladesh Food and Sugar Industries Corporation should be retired on the completion of 60 years of their employment as per provision of its section 14A.

  8. Mr. Aminuddin further submitted that section 28 of Bangladesh labour act. 2006; which prescribed 57 years to be the retirement age for a labour/worker, is not applicable to any worker, who works in any state-owned corporation/enterprise, that the provision incorporated in section 14A of the Public Corporation. (Management Co-ordination) Ordinance, 1986 is applicable to those enterprise, that the proviso of section 3(1) of the said act, 2006 allows those enterprises to have their own service rules, however, subject to not less favorable than provided by the Bangladesh labour act, 2006. Besides the provisions of the Public Corporation (Management Coordination) Ordinance, 1986, Mr. Aminuddin referred to sections 3(1), 28, 336 the Bangladesh labour Law, 2006.

  9. Sections 3(1) of the Bangladesh labour Law, 2006 runs as follows:

৩। চাকুরীর শর্তাবলীঃ (১) প্রত্যেক প্রতিষ্ঠানে শ্রমিকগণের নিয়োগ ও তৎসংক্রান্ত আনুষঙ্গিক অন্যান্য বিষয়াদি এই অধ্যায়ের বিধান অনুযায়ী পরিচালিত হইবেঃ
তবে শর্ত থাকে যে, কোন প্রতিষ্ঠানের শ্রমিক নিয়োগ সংক্রান্ত নিজস্ব চাকুরী বিধি থাকিতে পারিবে, কিন্তু এই প্রকার কোন বিধি কোন শ্রমিকের জন্য এই অধ্যায়ের কোন বিধান হইতে কম অনুকূল হইতে পারিবে না।

  1. Sections 28(1) of the Bangladesh labour Law, 2006 runs as follows:

২৮। শ্রমিকের অবসর গ্রহনঃ (১) এ অধ্যায়ের অন্যত্র যাহা কিছুই উল্লেখ থাকুক না কেন, কোন প্রতিষ্ঠানে নিয়োজিত কোন শ্রমিকের বয়স [৬০ (ষাট)] বৎসর পূর্ণ হইলে তিনি চাকুরী হইতে স্বাভাবিক অবসর গ্রহণ করিবেন।

  1. Sections 336 of the Bangladesh labour Law, 2006 runs as follows:

৩৩৬। কতিপয় ক্ষেত্রে চাকুরীর বর্তমান শর্তাবলী সংরক্ষণঃ এই আইন অথবা কোন বিধি, প্রবিধান বা স্কীমের কোন কিছুই এই আইন প্রবর্তন হওয়ার সময় উহার দ্বারা রহিত কোন আইনের অধীন, অথবা কোন রোয়েদাদ, চুক্তি, নিষ্পত্তি বা প্রচলিত প্রথার অধীন কোন শ্রমিকের ভোগকৃত অধিকার বা সুযোগ-সুবিধা, তিনি যতদিন, উক্ত প্রবর্তনের তারিখে যে মালিকের অধীন কর্মরত ছিলেন, সে মালিকের অধীন চাকুরীরত থাকিবেন ততদিন পর্যন্ত ব্যাহত বা ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত করিবে না, যদি তাহার উক্ত অধিকার এবং সুযোগ-সুবিধা এই আইন, বিধি, প্রবিধান বা স্কীমের অধীন প্রদত্ত অধিকার ও সুযোগ-সুবিধা হইতে অধিকতর অনুকূল হয়।

  1. In this respect Mr. Aminuddin referred to the decision of this court in the case of Bangladesh Gas Fields Co. Ltd. vs. Md. Fariduddin Ahmed reported in V ADC, 324. In reply, however, Mr. Hosein, invited us to re-examine ratio of the same.

  2. We have considered the submissions of the learned counsel.

  3. As to the question of status of the North Bengal Sugar Mills Ltd., put under the management and control of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation, under which respondent-writ petitioners were employed, this Court has already approved the view of the High Court Division on the question in the case of Bangladesh Gas Fields Co. Ltd. vs. Md. Fariduddin Ahmed reported in V ADC, 324, where it was held:

………from the nature of job preformed by the writ petitioner it appeared that he comes within the ambit of section 2(e) of the Ordinance of 86 as amended and, as such, he has to retire on completion of 6oth year by virtue of the provisions of section 14A of the said Ordinance of 86 and the above section 14A is applicable to all workers notwithstanding anything contained in the terms and conditions of their appointments and, as such, form No. 8 of the appointment letter, as evidenced by Annexure-A1 to the petition, has no level hearing and the same lost its force in view of the provisions of section 14A of the said Ordinance and section 14A shall prevail over the terms and conditions of appointment letter of the writ petitioner and, as such, the writ petitioner is entitled to serve upto the age 60th years.

  1. As to the question maintainability of the writ petitions as urged by Mr. Hosein in the same case this Court has also approved the view to the effect:

……though the appellant [Bangladesh Gas Fields Co. Ltd.] is a limited liability company incorporated under the Companies act 1913 but it is an enterprise of the respondent No. 4 (Bangladesh Oil. Gas and Mineral Corporation) shown at item No. 22 of the schedule of Ordinance 86 as amended and further in terms of the Articles of Association of the appellant (Bangladesh Gas Fields Co. Ltd.), the respondent No. 4 (Bangladesh Oil. Gas and Mineral Corporation) has the absolute control over the appellant in all matters and any director of the appellant may be appointed and/or removed at the option of the respondent No. 4/Government and any vacancy in the office of directors of the appellant [Bangladesh Oil. Gas and Mineral Corporation] shall be filled upon by the nominees of the respondent No. 4/Government and in view of these special features writ petition is maintainable.

  1. Admittedly, North Bengal Sugar Mills, one of the enterprises of the Bangladesh Food, Sugar and Industries Corporation which was shown in item 3 to the schedule to the Public Corporation (Management Co-ordination) Ordinance, 1986. Newly incorporated section 14A of the Public Corporation (Management Co-ordination) Ordinance, 1986 runs as follows:

“14A.(1) Retirement of a worker, etc.: A worker of an enterprise shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the terms and conditions of his employment in any contract, rule, regulation, bye-law or other instrument, retire from employment on the completion of the sixtieth year of his age:

Provided that a worker who has completed the sixtieth year of his age on or before the date of commencement of the Public Corporations (Management Coordination) (Amendment) act, 1994 ১৯৯৪ সনের ১৭ নং আইন shall cease to be in the employment of the enterprise on such commencement.

  1. According to the above section 14A of the Public Corporation (Management Coordination) Ordinance, 1986, the age of retirement of a worker, who is working in a public enterprise, is 60 years. In other words any Act/Rule that incorporate more favourable and provided better facilities to the workers than those of the labour act, 2006 will apply to such workers/labour in supersession of the provisions of the Bangladesh labour act, 2006. Section 336 of the Bangladesh labour act, 2006 makes it clear that workers are entitle to enjoy provisions of any other law of the land that is better and more beneficial to them. Since the section 14A of the Public corporation (Management Co-ordination) Ordinance, 1986 prescribes for more beneficial retirement age, the writ petitioners can only be sent on retirement after completion of 60 years of age but not at the age of 57.

In or about the premises we find no substance in the submissions made by Mr. Mainul Hosain. These civil petitions for leave to appeals are, therefore, dismissed.