UNION OF INDIA vs SATYA BRATA CHOWDHURY .

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of whether the recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission could be applied to Time Keepers in the Eastern Railway Administration from 18.2.2000 instead of 1.10.1996. The Court reaffirmed that Time Keepers are classified as 'workers' under the Factories Act, 1948, based on precedent set in Works Manager, Central Railway Workshop v. Vishwanath & Ors. [AIR 1970 SC 488]. The Court upheld the Tribunal's decision to treat Time Keepers as a distinct cadre, thereby allowing their claims for pay fixation from 1.1.1996.