The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday stayed the notice of one-day strike issued for March 25 by the PGIMER Contract Workers Union. The contractual employees on Wednesday had issued a notice saying they will observe a one-day strike on March 25 (Friday) at the premier Chandigarh-based health facility. While staying the notice, a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and Justice Arun Palli, said: “.considering the facts and circumstances, (the) PGI Contract Workers Union is restrained from proceeding on strike or disrupting/disturbing the functioning of any of the activities of the institute/hospital in any manner.” The HC order came on a PIL filed by the PGIMER seeking quashing of notice, dated March 23, issued by contractual workers, for a one-day strike on March 25. It had also sought direction to the Contract Workers Union to immediately withdraw the notice and not to indulge in any illegal activity that will hamper the smooth functioning of the institute. The counsel for PGIMER, Prateek Gupta and Abhishek Kumar Premi, contended in the HC that vide a notification dated January 4, 1968, the Chief Commissioner, Chandigarh had declared that East Punjab Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1947 wouyld be applicable on all employment under the PGIMER. “Even though the demands raised by the respondent are under active consideration of the authorities, but still .the Workers’ Union has resolved to observe one day strike on March 25,” the lawyers representing PGI argued. They contended that two PILs are pending before the court, wherein “on an earlier occasion, in the similar circumstances, this court had restrained the PGI employees’ union from proceeding on strike”. While staying the notice, the HC ordered that the matter be put up along with records of the tow other pending PILs.
