“Taking into account the nature of the litigation, this Court as per order dated 4.3.2014, had referred both the parties to attempt for a mediation through the Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre, Ernakulam attached to this Court and as per report dated 20.05.2014, the said mediation effort ended in failure. Later when the matter was taken up on previous occasion on 20.07.2016, this Court had suggested both the parties to again make serious attempt for mediated settlement and the petitioner management had offered an amount of Rs.6.5 lakhs as full and final settlement of all the claims in these two Writ Petitions as well as in a related matter arising out the award of the industrial Tribunal, Alappuzha, in I.D.No.9/2007, which has been impugned by the management in a Writ Petition, which is pending before this Court. The respondent workman had then taken the stand that he would agree for an amount of Rs.7.5 lakhs as full and final settlement of the matters in these two writ petitions and not for the third matter in the related award in I.D.No.9/2007. Since there was no meeting of minds between the parties on this aspect, the said attempt had also ended failure. When the matter was taken up for consideration on 23.9.2016, the respondent workman submitted that he is prepared to agree for an amount of Rs.7.25 lakhs as full and final settlement in respect of, not only these two Writ Petitions, but also in the related award in I.D.No.9/2007 of the Industrial Tribunal, Alappuzha and thereupon the counsel for the petitioner management had sought time to get instructions from the management.
