Thiruvananthapuram: Members of trade unions in Kerala demanded Rs 10 lakh from a truck that was carrying heavy equipment required for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The union members demanded money to allow the vehicle into the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram.
The issue was solved after state labour minister V Sivankutty and police officers intervened in the issue. A top official of the state labour department said that the department will take strict action the union leaders who provoked the union workers and locals. Kerala police has registered a case against 50 people in relation with the incident.
Earlier a few days ago, the Kerala High Court has launched severe criticism against the trade unions and the state government over the issue of ‘gawking charge’. ‘Gawking charge’ or Nokkukooli is the practice of trade unions to extort money from individuals or businesses to allow them to load unload their belongings. The practice is followed in Kerala widely by the trade unions and the CPM controlled Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) is most prominent in doing this.
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‘I find that complaints relating to demand for gawking charges have been coming before this Court on a regular basis. This is surprising because I am aware that the Government has already issued an order banning such demand from any Trade Union. Nokkukooli is tarnishing the image and spreading misconceptions about the State’, said Justice Devan Ramachandran.
The Kerala High Court has launched severe criticism against the state government while considering a plea filed by a businessman. The court observed that the that workers’ rights should be protected legally and that petitions seeking action against those demanding nokku-kooli are on the rise. ‘The practice of nokku-kooli is damaging the image of Kerala. It should be eradicated. It gives out wrong perceptions about the state. Meanwhile, the rights of the headload workers should also be protected,’ the court had said.
The Court asked the state government to implelent effectively the ban on Nokkukooli. The state government imposed a ban on the practice in 2018.
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