Sri Lankan Catering Limited vs Minister of Labour and Labour Relations and others – CA WRT 0451/24-2025

This case concerns an application for a writ of certiorari to quash an arbitral award pertaining to a bonus payment claim by a retired employee (4th respondent). The central legal issue was the interpretation of a collective agreement’s profit bonus provisions in contrast to a subsequent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which stipulated conditions for an ad hoc bonus, particularly concerning the eligibility of retired employees. The petitioner contended that the arbitrator erred in granting the bonus to the 4th respondent, arguing that the bonus in question was governed by the MOU, which excluded individuals who had retired prior to the payment date. The court evaluated whether the arbitrator’s decision constituted a fundamental error by failing to consider pertinent facts and misinterpre