The piling work for the Kochi Metro on the Kaloor stretch was suspended after labour issue reared its ugly head on Tuesday. According to officials with Soma constructions which has taken up the metro piling work along the Kaloor-Jawaharlal Nehru stretch, the work was suspended after labourers affiliated to the trade unions refused to come to work since Monday evening.
“We have also engaged these labourers with gauge production at our yard in Cheranelloor. However, on Monday they put in extra demands and threatened to stop work if we don’t comply with their demands. For example, they said that they would only produce 230 kg of gauge per worker each day. This is not acceptable as it will hinder the speed of the work and also result in unnecessary expenditure,” said an official with Soma Constructions.
He added that the matter was brought to the notice of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. “We are being forced to stop the work because of these issues. We cannot heed to the labour unions’ demands,” he added. Also, the labour union workers are in charge of the iron rod fixing work during piling on the Kaloor stretch. Since they stopped reporting for work, the Soma construction officials said that work on the stretch has been suspended. “This is creating unnecessary loss. Unless these workers are available for the concreting works, we can’t use the machines for boring and drilling. We spend Rs 50,000 per hour as rent for these machines, the officials added. Kochi Metro Rail Ltd Managing Director Elias George said that talks were initiated between Labour Minister Shibu Baby John and senior leaders of the trade unions on Tuesday. “We will monitor the issue for the next two days. If the issue still persists and the labourers refuse to come to work, a meeting will be held by the Labour Commissioner with trade union leaders and the other officials soon. If the issue is not solved by then, a high-level meeting will be held in Thiruvananthapuram,” he added.