In Brief
Bata India Limited deducted wages from employees who engaged in 'go slow' work despite a settlement fixing minimum production targets. The High Court held that while 'go slow' is similar to intentional work refusal justifying wage reduction, the company failed to provide workers procedural fairness before deducting pay. The Supreme Court affirmed that pro-rata wage deductions for 'go slow' are permissible but only after following proper procedure: determining facts fairly and giving workers opportunity to respond. The Court vacated the stay on the High Court's order requiring full wage payment and allowed future deductions only if proper procedure is followed according to the factual situation."
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