' Facts and legal propositions involved being almost identical, I would be disposing of both the appeals, above-captioned, by this short single judgment.
2. Appellants were serving in Social Security Hospital, Sheikhupura. Shaukat Ali was Operation Theater Assistant and Faiz Alam was Dispenser. On 26-12-1989 they were dismissed from service.
They filed grievance petitions under section 25-A, Industrial Relations Ordinance, 1969, on 26-6- 1999. Same were dismissed by the learned Labour Court No,3, Lahore, at Ferozewala, on 7-8-1999.
They have preferred the present appeals on 1-9-1999.
3. The decision rendered by the learned Labour Court, however, hardly calls for interference, the reason being that the Labour Court lacks A jurisdiction in the matter. Under section 1(3)(f) of the Ordinance, any person employed by an establishment set up for treatment or care of sick, infirm, destitude or mentally diseased people cannot have recourse to a Labour Court. It was so pronounced in a number of reported cases, as well as 1976 PLC 905, 1981 PLC 229 and 1986 SCM R .618. The Social Security Hospital cannot be treated as a commercial establishment or an industrial institution.
4. Again, the cause of action had arisen on 26-12-1989, but submission of the grievance petitions was delayed over a period exceeding 9 years, and thus were palpably time-barred. On both counts aforesaid, grievance petitions cannot proceed and were rightly rejected by the lower Court. There is no force in the appeals, which are hereby dismissed with costs.