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R.T. BRISCOE (NIGERIA) LIMITED AND AUTOMOBILE, BOATYARD, TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT AND ALLIED WORKERS UNION OF NIGERIA (NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL COURT) HON. JUSTICE (CHIEF) P.A. ATILADE - PRESIDENT ALHAJI Z.M. BELLO - MEMBER B.N. OBUA, ESQ. - MEMBER SUIT NO: - NIC/5/89 DATE OF JUDGMENT - TUESDAY, 20TH NOVEMBER, 1990. LABOUR LAW - National Industrial Court - Reference of dispute thereto – Power of to re-examine the entire dispute referred to it - Scope of. LABOUR LAW - National Industrial Court - When not rehearing an Entire case - New ground raised therein – How treated. ISSUES: 1. Should the court confine itself to the interpretation of Award No.1 of the Industrial Arbitration Panel as maintained by the Appellant who have objected to the said Award, or should it consider Awards Nos. 1, 2 and 3 as contended by the Respondent who did not object to the Award? 2. What is the correct interpretation of IAP Award No.1 objected to by the Appellant in the circumstances? FACTS: Appellant raised objection to Award No.1 of the Industrial Arbitration Panel Award in the dispute with the Respondent. The Appellant consequently applied to the National Industrial Court for the interpretation of the IAP Award. Both parties agreed that what they wanted was not a re-examination of the dispute, but the interpretation of the IAP Award. However, whereas the Appellant asserted that only Award No.1 of the IAP should be interpreted, the Respondent contended that unless other items of the Award were considered, the court would not be able to give an interpretation. HELD (Dismissing the appeal): 1. On Power of National industrial Court to re-examine in its entirety a dispute referred to it- The National Industrial Court will take due cognizance of the wide scope allowed it in the notice of reference made to it. The court is thus at liberty, if it so chooses, to re-examine the dispute referred to it by the Honourable Minister of Employment Labour and Productivity in its entirety, if such action is deemed necessary and if by so doing, a fair and just solution of the issues in dispute would be reached. In the instant case, the court interpreted the LAP Award No.1 on which the Appellant raised objection together with LAP Award No.2. 2. On Treatment of new grounds when National industrial Court is not rehearing the entire case- Where the National Industrial Court is not rehearing the entire case, all new grounds propounded on appeal are irrelevant.