KOCHI: The High Court has appointed a High Court lawyer as observer to monitor the conciliatory moves for resolving the labour dispute involving Muthoot Finance Ltd management and the section of its employees on strike.
The Division Bench order came on a petition from the management seeking a directive to the Labour and Rehabilitation Secretary and Labour Commissioner to hold an effective conciliatory meeting. The court asked the observer to file a report on the conciliatory moves and the observer can also act as a mediator in the proceedings.
It directed that the minutes of the earlier conciliatory meetings should be handed over to the observer. And the HC expressed the hope that both parties will cooperate in the conciliatory efforts and that they will desist from issuing public statements.
Muthoot employees’ union counsel’s statement, that no effective conciliation is possible since the management representatives are unable to take a decision by themselves, was also taken note of by the judges.