KOCHI: Kerala should implement labour laws which can act as a model for the entire country, Labour and Excise T P Ramakrishnan said here on Monday.
He was speaking at a review meeting of labour department officials held at the conference hall of the District Collectorate at Kakkanad. “Though there has been progress in the functioning of the department compared to the past, the labour officials should be ready to better their performance. All assistant labour officers should work in tandem and they must be aptly supported by district labour officers,” said Ramakrishnan.
The minister reiterated the government’s policy of providing security to labourers as stated in the labour laws. “The officers should seriously consider the demands of trade unions and workers and initiate timely action. It is an achievement to resolve 80 per cent of the labour issues through dialogues. The officers should attain more progress in mediation talks,” he said.He ordered officials to be more precise in executing the laws, but reminded them of taking stringent action against the labourers if they are at fault.
Awaz project
The meet broadly discussed the registration of migrant labourers to ensure their welfare under the Awaz project. “The labour department has the sole responsibility of registering the workers under the project and the officers should complete the work by setting a deadline,” he said. Currently, the scheme provides H 15,000 in medical expenses and H 2 lakh in life insurance to the migrant labourers. So far, 3,91,901 workers have registered their names under the project.
The minister urged the workers to register themselves in the scheme and renew their existing registration.
The review meeting was attended by Labour Commissioner C V Sajan, Additional Labour Commissioners Bichu Balan, Ranjith Manohar and Thulasidharan and other officials.