Sri Lanka General Workers Union v. Samaranayake – sllr 1996 volume 2 page 268

In the case between Sri Lanka General Workers Union and Samaranayake, the court addressed the proper interpretation of section 31D of the Industrial Disputes Act, as amended by Act No. 32 of 1990. The central legal issue was whether the statutory requirement to deposit security and file the corresponding certificate within thirty days of filing an appeal is to be treated as a mandatory or merely directory condition. It was determined that the 30-day period for fulfilling these requirements is directory, not mandatory, with the underlying legislative objective being to secure a fund for the workman’s benefit rather than to serve as a jurisdictional bar. The holding reaffirmed that minor procedural delays do not automatically defeat the right of appeal if the substantive purpose of the statu