Settle contractual workers' unpaid dues in 5 weeks: Calcutta HC to BSNL

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed state-owned telecom major BSNL Ltd to settle unpaid wages of contractual workers within five weeks.

Moving the court on behalf of a trade union, advocate Arunabha Ghosh submitted that workers under contractors for BSNL have not received their wages since December last year.

Ghosh submitted before the court that as per law, it is the onus of the principal employer to ensure that a contractor engaged by it is paying the wages of workers.

He further said if a contractor fails to pay the workers' dues, it is the liability of the principal employer to settle the wages.

Opposing the prayer, the lawyer representing the telecom major submitted that it is not possible for the company to furnish the amount left unpaid by the contractors.

Justice Shekhar B Saraf, after hearing both the parties, directed BSNL to pay the wages due of the contractual workers within five weeks.