Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state committee on Saturday came down heavily on the practice of Nokkukooli being adopted by some trade union workers including those affiliated to CITU.
Sources said the matter came at the meeting during the discussion on the document presented on Trade Union front. The party termed nokkukooli as a “bad practice” which needs to be stopped completely. Complaints of nokkukooli were becoming a big headache and embarrassment for the CPM, it pointed out .
The state committee asked the trade union leadership to ensure that the “sale of labour” is stopped at the earliest.
CPM faced major embarrassment recently when police arrested a CITU leader Murali in Kesavadasapuram for demanding “nokkukooli” from Food Safety Commissioner T V Anupama. Following the incident, Labour Minister Shibu Baby John had issued a strong circular threatening strict action against those demanding nokkukooli.
“Nokkukooli is an unofficial labour norm under which wages are paid to trade union workers for allowing investors, builders and even for common people to unload or upload material either using machines or their own labour. The unions charge the amount on the grounds that they had lost the income.
Meanwhile the crucial two-day CPM state committee meeting is also expected to discuss issues concerning frontal organisations like SFI and AIDWA. Besides, the leadership will also finalise tentative dates for the branch, local, area, district and state scheduled to begin later this year.
Preparations for the local bodies poll scheduled for 2015 are also on top of the agenda.
