KOCHI: A dispute broke out between the proprietors of an interior designing firm and headload workers over the unloading of toughened glass panels at a construction site in Maradu on Friday.
The standoff involved Idea House Interiors, which is handling the interior works of a commercial building, and CITU-affiliated headload workers.
According to Anto Rafi, a partner of Idea House Interiors, the company is racing to complete the project before the July 31 deadline. The issue began on Tuesday when a truck carrying toughened glass arrived at the site. Anto and his partner Louis Isaac insisted that the glass must be unloaded using proper safety equipment and only by skilled workers.
“However, CITU headload workers were adamant that only they would unload the materials,” said Anto. Due to the disagreement, the unloading was stalled on Tuesday. A conciliatory meeting was held at the Maradu police station, but the CITU workers maintained their stand that they would unload the glass just like other goods, resulting in a deadlock.
With the deadline looming and the truck driver unwilling to wait beyond Friday, Anto and Louis decided to unload the materials using their own employees.
“But when we began unloading, CITU workers arrived at the site and began threatening us. They prevented our staff from proceeding and were unwilling to follow the necessary safety protocols,” Anto alleged.
He also cited a recent incident in Kochi where untrained workers allegedly caused a fatal accident while unloading a car from a trailer. Following media reports on the matter, CITU district leadership intervened.