Kochi: Kerala State Labour Department will soon introduce a series of employee welfare measures, including an online wage protection system to ensure timely transfer of minimum wages by employers.
A 24X7 call center to address labour unrests as well as complaints against headload workers and assured minimum wages for teachers in private schools in Kerala are among the steps being planned, Dr G L Muraleedharan, Additional Labour Commissioner said today. Inaugurating a seminar on 'Labour laws in Kerala', he said the online wage protection system being introduced under the Labour Commissionerate would ensure timely wage disbursal for employees working primarily in the unorganized sector. Hundreds of workers in hospitals, jewellery shops and textile shops and NBFCs will be covered in the initial phase. As per the system, all employers will have to transfer wages of their employees to a virtual account maintained by the Labour Department. The wages will be instantly transferred to employees the same day of transfer.
This mechanism will ensure timely disbursement of salaries. "We will also be in a position to assure that the employees are paid decent salaries, which is not below the minimum wages assured," he said. The Department will introduce a 24X7 call center to address grievances related with employers and employees. "Complaints regarding atrocities in connection with loading and unloading of goods could also be addressed through the call center working round-the-clock", he said. Dr Muraleedharan said the Department plans strong, stringent measures against 'Nokku Kooli' (wherein trade unions demand wages even if workers are not used to unload goods). "We intend to ensure direct, on-the-spot involvement of police' to protect the rights of ordinary citizens to load and unload their personal goods on their own wish," he said.
The call center will start functioning by September 2014, he said. Yet another measure being initiated by the Department is assurance of minimum wages to teachers in private schools in the State. "The Kerala State Private School Teachers (Minimum Wages) Act will be introduced in the next session of the Assembly," he said. The Kerala State Shops & Industrial Establishments Act will be revamped in a manner that many exploitations of employees are checked. Once the reforms are in force, no employer will be in a position 'to withhold their employees' qualifying examination and experience certificates; the employers could verify them and return originals, keeping copies of the same in company records, he said.
