Mcb Bank Ltd. through Attorney V. Muhammad Imran Bhatti and 2 others,
PLC 2015 82 · Balochistan High Court
This case involved a bank employee, Muhammad Imran Bhatti, who worked at MCB Bank and was dismissed for alleged embezzlement after departmental proceedings found him guilty. Instead of filing a grievance notice with the bank, he filed a departmental appeal, and later took his case to the Labour Court through a grievance petition. The Labour Court ruled in his favor and ordered his reinstatement with back benefits, and the Labour Appellate Tribunal upheld this decision. The bank then challenged both rulings before the Balochistan High Court.
The bank argued that since the employee had been promoted to Officer Grade-III, he was performing managerial duties and no longer qualified as a "worker" under labour law, meaning the Labour Court had no jurisdiction over his case. The bank also argued he should have issued a formal grievance notice before going to court.
The High Court disagreed. It held that a person's status as a "worker" depends on the actual nature of duties performed, not job title or grade. Since the employee was still doing routine clerical work rather than genuine managerial work, he remained a "workman" entitled to use the Labour Court. The Court also clarified that issuing a grievance notice before filing a petition is optional, not mandatory, under the law. Since two lower forums had already agreed on the facts, the High Court said it could not interfere with these findings in its constitutional jurisdiction. The petition was dismissed, meaning the employee's reinstatement stood.
یہ مقدمہ ایک بینک ملازم محمد عمران بھٹی سے متعلق ہے جو ایم سی بی بینک میں ملازم تھے اور جن پر مالی خرد بُرد کا الزام لگا کر محکمانہ کارروائی کے بعد قصوروار پایا گیا اور برطرف کر دیا گیا۔ بینک کو شکایتی نوٹس (گریونس نوٹس) بھیجنے کے بجائے انہوں نے محکمانہ اپیل دائر کی اور بعد ازاں شکایتی درخواست کے ذریعے لیبر کورٹ سے رجوع کیا۔ لیبر کورٹ نے ان کے حق میں فیصلہ دیا اور انہیں مالی مفادات کے ساتھ بحال کرنے کا حکم دیا، جسے لیبر اپیلیٹ ٹریبیونل نے بھی برقرار رکھا۔ اس کے بعد بینک نے دونوں فیصلوں کو بلوچستان ہائی کورٹ میں چیلنج کیا۔
بینک کا مؤقف تھا کہ چونکہ ملازم کو آفیسر گریڈ تھری کے عہدے پر ترقی دی جا چکی تھی، وہ انتظامی نوعیت کے فرائض ادا کر رہے تھے اور اس بنا پر وہ لیبر قانون کے تحت "ورکر" کی تعریف میں شامل نہیں رہے، جس کا مطلب یہ تھا کہ لیبر کورٹ کو ان کے کیس پر سماعت ک