Latest news with #CITU
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Who gets to lift over 8,500 kg of glass? Kochi startup, trade union face off in 4-day deadlock
The heated standoff between two entrepreneurs and trade union workers in Kochi, which lasted over four days, ended last Friday, with CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) allotting trained workers to unload construction material at the site. The deadlock between the Kochi startup and trade union workers began after heavy glass panels arrived at a construction site. The deadlock began last Tuesday after the trade union workers insisted on unloading toughened glass panels - over 100 panels, each weighing 85 kg - themselves despite being told that the fragile material required skilled handling using proper safety equipment. The incident gained traction after coverage by Malayalam media and after one of the interior firm's founders took to LinkedIn to highlight what he called the "hard truth about starting a business in Kerala". Speaking to Louis Issac, co-founder of Idea House Coworking, confirmed that the standoff with CITU workers has now been resolved and that they were charged ₹30,000 by the union for unloading and moving the material. "They only placed it in the 10-metre limit. From there we had to move it," Issac said. The issue sparked a discussion online, with many agreeing with the entrepreneurs' call for a more business-friendly environment in the state. The episode also brought back to light the issue of the banned "Nokku Kooli", a fee charged by trade union workers for the work either done by machine or others as their right. Nokku Kooli was banned in 2018 by the Left government but it is still prevalent in many parts of Kerala. "The government must either disband the union or provide them with proper technical and safety training. Otherwise, we will not cooperate," Issac told adding that a group of startup founders in Kerala has sought a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to put forth their demands. "If unresolved, we're planning a statewide entrepreneurs' rally," he said. Before the standoff was resolved, the police intervened and called both the workers and the entrepreneurs - Issac and his partner Anto Raffy - to the station for mediation. In June, a car dealership worker at Kochi died after being crushed by a Range Rover while the luxury car was being unloaded from a trailer reportedly by a trade union worker.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CITU plans to intensify agitations for achieving demands of workers
The CITU district committee has resolved to intensify the agitation for achieving the demands of workers of various sectors, particularly those from Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), scheme workers, implementation of minimum wages and revival of the old pension scheme. The two-day district conference of CITU concluded, here, on Sunday (July 27), where delegates reviewed the activities undertaken by the union in the last three years. Briefing media persons on the deliberations of the district meet, here on Monday (July 28), CITU district general secretary R. K. S.V. Kumar explained that the participants at the conference discussed the agitations undertaken during the period, including the ones taken up for protection of VSP and for reinstatement of contract workers, whose services were terminated, the Anganwadi workers strikes, which went on for 24 days, ASHA workers, Midday Meal workers, against privatisation of Golden Jubilee Hospital (GJH) of Visakhapatnam Port, for revival of the Building Construction Workers Welfare Board. The union had also fought for payment of ₹26,000 as minimum wage, provision of job security, regularisation of contract and outsourcing workers, and a general strike was observed on July 9 demanding withdrawal of the four Labour Codes, which were detrimental to the interests of workers. The conference has resolved to intensify these agitations further for the achievement of the demands of the workers. The conference unanimously elected a new body with 26 executive members and another 106 council members. K.M. Srinivasa Rao and R. K. S. V. Kumar were elected as president and general secretary respectively, and Jyothi was elected treasurer. A district-level seminar on the demand for withdrawal of the proposal to install smart meters would be held at Alluri Vignana Kendram on July 29. A dharna would also be held at the AP EPDCL Office on the same day. The 18th national conference of CITU is scheduled to be organised for the first time in the city, on December 4. CITU secretaries P. Mani and K. Chandrasekhar were present at the press conference.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
‘Fly, folks, fly': Kochi entrepreneur slams trade union workers for blocking work at construction site
Two young entrepreneurs in Kerala recently faced a standoff with tradunion workers, who insisted on unloading construction materials themselves despite being told that the fragile glass panels required skilled handling using proper safety equipment. Louis Issac is a managing partner at Idea House Coworking in Kochi, Kerala. (@Louis Issac/ LinkedIn) Louis Issac and Anto Raffy, of a startup called Idea House Coworking, were racing against a deadline to complete the interior works at a commercial building in Kochi. The stand-off between the entrepreneurs and the labour union began last Tuesday after toughened glass panels arrived at the construction site in a truck. The entrepreneurs alleged that CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) workers insisted that they get the right to unload the glass panels. Meanwhile, Isaac and Raffy had brought another set of workers to do the work. Taking to LinkedIn, Isaac said, "Despite paying costs and taxes, I'm stuck - unable to unload materials like toughened glass, which requires skilled labour and specialised equipment like glass catchers. Why? Labour unions are blocking progress, demanding control over tasks they're often untrained for." "We need change - better enforcement, skilled labour and a business-friendly environment. Until then, it feels like Kerala is saying, 'Fly, folks, fly'." The entrepreneurs maintained that they have no issues with the CITU workers unloading the glass panels if they follow the safety guidelines. "We will unload each glass panel with utmost care. If anything breaks, we will pay the amount they (the entrepreneurs) ask for," a trade union worker told Malayalam news channel Reporter TV during the face-off between the two men and the workers. The deadlock did not end despite police intervention and a meeting between the entrepreneurs and the trade union workers at the nearby police station. Last month, a car dealership worker at Kochi died after being crushed by a Range Rover while the luxury car was being unloaded from a trailer reportedly by a trade union worker.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Delhi govt.'s move to amend labour laws will strip lakhs of workers of their rights, say experts
Trade union leaders and experts have criticised the Delhi government's move to amend at least two labour laws as part of its 'Ease of Doing Business' policy, saying the amendments will strip lakhs of workers in the city of several rights. The first pertains to changing the applicability of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954, to establishments with 10 or more employees. Currently, the Act, which includes several safeguards for employees, such as leaves, weekly holidays, and a month's notice for dismissal, is applicable even to establishments with one employee. The government is also planning to amend the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, which protects workers in cases of lay-offs and closure of units employing 100 or more workers, by raising the minimum threshold of employees to 300. Directions were issued to senior officials at a review meeting on June 30, chaired by Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena and attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, to make these changes, said a source. However, the government is yet to release any official statement on the matter. 'No protection' Anurag Saxena, CITU general secretary (Delhi), said introducing a threshold in the law will leave employees working in smaller establishments without any protection. 'Right now, if a person working at a small bakery or garment shop is fired illegally, he or she can file a complaint under the Act. Once the minimum threshold is increased to 10, workers at thousands of establishments with fewer than 10 employees will be placed outside the ambit of the law and left without any protection,' he said. A senior Delhi government official said once the four Labour Codes, which were passed in Parliament in 2019 and 2020, are implemented, workers in smaller establishments will be provided with 'some level of protection'. However, Mr. Saxena said, 'The labour codes could provide protection to employees in case of wages, but there is no safeguard for workers at a small establishment who are fired illegally.' Concurrent List The government is also looking to make changes to the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, which applies to commercial units across the country, as labour is part of the Concurrent List, which includes subjects over which the Union and State governments share legislative responsibilities. Currently, the Act provides protection to workers in the event of retrenchment and closure of firms employing 100 workers or more, as prior permission is required from the government or notice is to be given for such actions. The Delhi government plans to amend the Act to cover only establishments employing 300 or more workers. Professor Surajit Mazumdar at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said an employee's rights do not depend on the size of the establishment. 'As things stand, many labour laws meant to protect employees are not enforced properly. And now if you remove the workers from the ambit of the law itself, the workers won't be able to even fight for their rights,' he said. The threshold in the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 has already been raised to 300 by the Bharatiya Janata Party governments in Gujarat (2021) and Assam (2018). The same change has also been proposed in the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, which is part of the four labour Codes, which have not been implemented amid resistance from labour unions across the country. Mr. Mazumdar said raising the threshold to 300 would be a way of introducing the labour Codes 'through the back door'. Gujarat had also amended the Gujarat Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2019 (the equivalent of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954) six years ago to cover units employing only 10 or more workers. 'The total number of employees in establishments with less than 10 workers in Delhi, who will be affected by the change in law, will be in the range of 7 to 20 lakh and the actual figure will be closer to 15 lakh,' said Mr. Mazumdar. He used the data from the Economic Census, 2013-14 and Delhi Economic Survey 2023-24 to arrive at the conclusion. Brijesh Goyal, chairman of Chamber of Trade & Industry, said the figure will be around 18-20 lakh workers, and Sucheta De, AICCTU national vice president, said the figure will be around 15-17 lakh workers. 'The entire practice is to keep most workers outside the scope of any legal protections,' Ms. De said. When reached out, the CM's office did not offer any comment.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
GCC to privatise solid waste management in Tondiarpet, Anna Nagar
CHENNAI: Even as conservancy workers staged a human chain protest on Wednesday opposing the privatisation of solid waste management (SWM) in the city, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) floated tenders to appoint private agencies for garbage collection and transportation in Tondiarpet and Anna Nagar -- the two zones where waste management was handled directly by the civic body. With this, solid waste management in all 14 zones in the city will be privatised, leaving only around 12 divisions in Ambattur zone under the oversee of GCC. It may be noted that last month the corporation handed over solid waste collection and transportation operations in Royapuram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar zones to Delhi MSW Solutions Limited. The sanitary workers on Wednesday led by CITU from at least 10 zones joined the protest at 6:30 am, which continued for nearly an hour across multiple locations before workers resumed their duties. Protesters raised concerns about poor wages and discriminatory employment practices in the privatised system. "Contract workers under private agencies receive only around `570 per day, compared to Rs 753 paid to regular corporation workers," said P Srinivasalu, general secretary of CITU. "Private contractors also hesitate to hire anyone above 45 years of age unless with some conditions without PF and ESI benefits." They demanded the implementation of the DMK government's election promise to abolish the contract system in government departments and provide permanent employment to sanitary workers. Despite these protests, the corporation has initiated the bidding process to privatise solid waste operations in Tondiarpet and Anna Nagar zones, which together span 50.85 sq km and are home to an estimated 21.39 lakh people and 5.34 lakh households as per 2025 projections.
