Browns Engineering (Pvt) Ltd. v. Commissioner Labour and Other – sllr 1998 volume 1 page 088

In Browns Engineering (Pvt) Ltd. v. Commissioner of Labour and others, the court addressed whether unilateral closure of business by the petitioner-company, without prior written approval under the Termination of Employment of Workmen Act, rendered the company liable to pay compensation to its workmen. It was held that the company’s failure to obtain the Commissioner’s approval made the termination of employment unlawful and justified the award of compensation. The principle reaffirmed is that, notwithstanding an employer’s right to close a business, compensation must be paid to workmen where statutory procedures are not followed. The decision was based on statutory interpretation of the Termination of Employment of Workmen Act and established precedent, underscoring administrative complia