Ceylon Tyre Rebuilding Co., Ltd. v. Perera and Others – sllr 1980 volume 2 page 036

In the case between Ceylon Tyre Rebuilding Co., Ltd. and Perera and Others, the court addressed whether the Minister of Labour possessed the authority under section 4(1) of the Industrial Disputes Act to refer an industrial dispute to arbitration while an application concerning the same dispute was pending before the Labour Tribunal. It was held that such a referral by the Minister was valid, even in the presence of ongoing proceedings before the Labour Tribunal, thereby reaffirming the principle that concurrent jurisdiction is permitted under the Act. Reliance was placed on the statutory language of section 4(1) and relevant case law, including distinctions drawn from Nadarajah Ltd. v. Krishnadasan. The decision underscored that the absence of a statutory time limitation and the petitione