Ceylon Printers Limited and Another v. Goonewardena and Others – sllr 1990 volume 2 page 310

In the case between Ceylon Printers Limited and Another and Goonewardena and Others, the court addressed whether the cancellation of the registration of the 2nd Respondent Union resulted in the cessation of the industrial dispute and invalidated the Minister’s referral for arbitration. It was determined that the cancellation of the union’s registration does not extinguish the underlying industrial dispute, and the arbitrator’s jurisdiction remains unaffected. The proceedings were directed to continue, reaffirming the principle that a trade union acts solely in a representative capacity and that the existence or continuation of an industrial dispute is independent of the union’s registration status. The decision relied on the interpretation of Sections 4, 16, 17, 19, and 48 of the Industria