IOC workers cannot protest inside or near office premises

Ruling that employees cannot misuse their fundamental right to protest to obstruct their firm's business, a Delhi court has permanently restrained Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) workers from holding demonstration inside and in vicinity of the company premises.

Additional District Judge Savita Rao stopped the IOC workers from holding demonstration in the vicinity of firm's official premises permanently after an ex-parte hearing of the plea by the state enterprise for restraining the workers.

The IOC workers' union had stopped coming to the court after an interim order on March 7, 2002, had temporarily restrained the workers from holding any dharnas or creating obstructions within a radius of 150 metres of Indian Oil Bhawan premises at Yusuf Sarai, New Delhi.

"It is correct that the employees union has fundamental right to hold demonstration in a peaceful manner but by no stretch of imagination it can include hampering or obstructing in any manner the ingress into and outgress from the office complex of the Corporation or to interfere in its business.

"Accordingly, the defendants (trade union) are restrained from undertaking or holding or abetting or indulging in any dharnas, creating obstructions, gheraos or demonstrations within a radius of 150 metres premises of Indian Oil Bhawan, New Delhi," the court said in its order on September 2, reiterating its interim order.

The Union government's largest Public Sector Undertaking, IOC, had moved the court for permanently stopping its workers from demonstrating, organising gheraos or obstructing work and movement at IOC's office in the Capital.