For the first time in its 50 years of history, there seems to be trouble brewing for the employees of the famed Indian Coffee House.
The workers seeking salary revision and change in staff pattern are up in arms against the management of the cooperative. Dissatisfied with the service conditions and heavy workload, nearly 40 employees have already left the service. Despite being a profitmaking co-operative venture, the demand for revision of salaries of employees is yet to be conceded by the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Thiruvananthapuram.
The recognition of two new branches, one at the Kozhikode Airport and another at Kanhangad in Kasargod district are also pending. Says P V Balakrishnan, President, Indian Coffee House Workers’ Co-operative Society: “The proposal for revision of the salaries of employees and the request for recognition of the two new branches were sent to the Registrar several months ago. But he refused to act on the proposal”.
The Indian Coffee House, a unique co-operative venture launched by the late communist leader, A K Gopalan, when the Indian Coffee Board decided to close down the Coffee Houses under it way back in 1950s, is now part of the state's popular culture. Spread over six districts, from Kasargod to Palaakkad, the ICH employs 650 workers, in addition to 100 employees working on daily wages. “On an average an employee of the ICH gets Rs 9000 every month.
On revision, this could be raised to a minimum of Rs 10,000 said Balakrishnan.” Interestingly the Coffee houses in the southern region of the state are under the Industries Department, and the employees are getting better scales of pay. Going by the version of the director board of the ICH co-operative society, the society can afford to offer a revision of salaries of the employees.
The Society has already set apart the amount required for the purpose, as evident from the recent audit reports of the society. The reason being cited by the Registrar of Cooperative societies is that the new proposals involves an additional expenditure of Rs 1.25 crore. The predominantly pro- Left Indian Coffee House employees co-operative society argues that the proposals were rejected by the Registrar without considering the actual financial status of the society