Kolkata, Sep 6 (PTI) Expressing hope for a positive outcome of the talks between the trade unions and the management of BPCL to resolve the disputes, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Sunday adjourned hearing in an appeal.

A trade union moved the appeal against a single bench order that found a notice by the unions of BPCL to go on strike on September 7 and 8 to be in contravention of statutory provisions.

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The lawyer for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) told the division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee that a meeting at an all-India level is going on between the trade unions and the management to resolve the contentious issues.

Noting that the meeting is to find ways and means to go forward to reach a meaningful settlement of the disputes through negotiations, the court recorded submissions made by the counsel for BPCL that other energy companies, particularly IOCL, ONGC and GAIL, have arrived at certain settlements.

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The counsel for the trade union, Petroleum Workers' Union, also submitted that his client is open to go ahead with the solution as arrived in the case of the other energy companies.

Observing that "it will be in the best interest of all concerned - the labour force, the management and also the public funds which are pushed into public sector undertakings to have the nitty-gritties on these disputes resolved at the earliest", the court expressed hope that it will be able to hear something positive on the next date of hearing.

The bench, which took up the matter on a Sunday in view of its urgency, will hear the appeal again on Tuesday.

The appeal was moved by the union against the order of a single bench, which found that in view of the pendency of conciliation proceeding, a notice to go on strike on September 7 and 8 was in contravention of statutory provisions.

The single bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar permitted BPCL management to take all statutory actions in view of the notice to go on strike by the union under the Industrial Disputes Act.

In the order passed on September 4, the single bench also permitted BPCL to make arrangements for its outlets to function during the notice to go on strike period, without interference by the union and with the help of the appropriate administrative authorities.

Trade unions had last month urged Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to reconsider the proposed privatisation of BPCL.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)