ISSUE:
Whether the word “industry,” as used in Section 2(g) of the Trade Unions Act, carries the same meaning as the word “industry” as defined in Section 2(g) of the Industrial Disputes Act?
Whether employees of a research and development organization are entitled to form a trade union under the Trade Unions Act, even if the organization claims to have no profit motive.
Whether the definition of the word “Industry” contained in the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, which is a later enactment, can be read into the provisions of the Trade Unions Act?
Whether the absence of a profit motive affects the classification of an establishment as an “industry” under labor laws.
RULE:
When two statutes are in pari materia (covering the same subject matter), the definition of an ambiguous term in one statute can be interpreted using the definition from the other statute.
The profit motive is not necessary for an organization to be classified as an “industry” if it involves organized activity providing material services, regardless of its commercial intent.