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Before the Tribunal, both the parties filed their respective documents pleadings, and adduced evidence. The Industrial Tribunal passed an Award, dated July 10, 2012, dismissing the proceeding under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act on contest. The Tribunal found that the workmen had failed to substantiate their case and were not entitled to get any Award as sought for. The said Award by the Tribunal is the subject matter of challenge in the present writ petition.

On behalf of IISCO, i.e., the respondent no. 2, the Deputy General Manager (Law) of the Steel Authority of India Limited, (SAIL, for short) IISCO Steel Plant, affirmed an affidavit-in- opposition. He has taken a point that after the merger of IISCO with the SAIL it has become a unit of SAIL and has been renamed as Steel Authority of India, IISCO Steel Plant. According to the respondent no. 2, the petitioners including the husbands of petitioners no. 38 and 39, like about 350 more such employees, were engaged as Full Term Apprentices (FTA, for short) between 1974 and 1978. They submitted copies of their appointment letters as FTA as per the provisions of the Apprenticeship Act, 1961. Since, they were engaged as apprentices, they get stipend during such period of apprenticeship. After completion of the period they were absorbed by the company as fresh entrants. It had been submitted that since such employees who joined as FTA and remained as apprentices till completion of such period, the period spent as apprentices was not taken into consideration for the purpose of giving them retiral benefits.