The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed the operation of the Industrial Tribunal’s order that restrained Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) from outsourcing the recruitment of class IV employees. The LIC had decided to outsource the recruitment, but a petition was filed against this decision, which was initially dismissed by the court in August 2023. Undeterred, the employees moved an application to the Industrial Tribunal, arguing that the process of reconciliation was still pending before the competent authority and that their terms and conditions of service cannot be changed.
The Industrial Tribunal eventually restrained the LIC from outsourcing the recruitment of class IV employees. This order was challenged by the LIC in the High Court, which granted a stay on the tribunal’s order after hearing all the parties involved. The stay will remain in place until the high court decides on the matter. The implications of the stay are that the LIC will be allowed to outsource the recruitment of class IV employees, but this is subject to the court’s final decision on the matter.
It is unclear what the next step will be, but this development may have significant implications for the LIC and its employees. The stay is a temporary reprieve for the LIC, which had been prevented by the Industrial Tribunal from outsourcing the recruitment. However, the long-term outcome is far from certain, and it remains to be seen how the court will ultimately rule on the matter. The stay is a respite for the LIC, but the matter is far from over, and the court’s final decision will have significant implications for all parties involved.