Lawyers at Ahmedabad’s labour court in Apna Bazaar have begun an indefinite strike against the new labour codes, with advocates also planning similar action at labour and industrial courts across Gujarat, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar.
The lawyers held a protest against provisions of the new labour code and stayed away from court work. A general body meeting of labour and industrial court advocates passed a resolution supporting the withdrawal from judicial proceedings.
The lawyers have also requested that courts should not pass one-sided, or ex parte, orders during the strike period. Such orders can affect one party in a dispute when the other side is not present or represented.
The principal concern raised by the advocates is the transfer of powers relating to labour and industrial disputes from courts to administrative officers. The lawyers argued that workers could be harmed if these authorities are given powers that were earlier exercised by labour and industrial courts.
According to the report, the advocates believe that administrative officers may not have sufficient legal expertise to decide labour disputes. They have demanded that these powers should be restored to the courts.
The action began at the labour court located in Ahmedabad’s Apna Bazaar, while advocates have announced an indefinite strike across Gujarat’s labour and industrial courts. The move could affect the routine handling of employment disputes, claims and other proceedings before these forums, although the supplied report does not specify the number of cases or hearings affected.
The protest reflects a dispute over how labour adjudication should be administered under the new legal framework. The lawyers are seeking answers to questions arising from the implementation of the labour code and have linked their continued boycott of court work to the resolution of those concerns.
The next step announced by the advocates is the continuation of the indefinite strike across Gujarat’s labour and industrial courts until their concerns over the allocation of powers and the functioning of the new labour framework are addressed.
