KOZHIKODE/KOCHI: Nesto Group, a UAE-based retail chain, plans to open a chain of 10 hypermarket stores in Kerala, within days after it settled a prolonged stir at its first hypermarket stores in the state at Kalpetta, Wayanad.
The strike by the trade unions of CPM, Congress, IUML and CPI over the loading/unloading issue outside the Nesto hypermarket at Kalpetta was settled after 31 days of stir, on July 16.
The announcement by Nesto Group, founded by Keralite K P Basheer in 2004, was made at the 'Meet the Investor' programme of Industries Minister P Rajeev. Nesto Group would establish 10 hypermarket stores over a period of two years, providing jobs to 3,500 people, a statement by the industries minister's office said. "A nodal officer has been given the task to coordinate and speed up Nesto's investment plans in the state," said Rajeev.
This year, Nesto Group, which has 98 outlets mostly operating across GCC, would open four hypermarket stores viz., at Edappal, Kannur, Kuttyady and Kozhikode.
"A total of 850 people will be hired for these four hypermarket stores," said the statement. Next year, the Nesto Group will launch its hypermarket stores at Thrissur. Tirur, Kottakkal, Perinthalmanna, Sulthan Bathery and Iritty. This will see the creation of job opportunities for another 2,650 people.
The stir at Nesto's Kalpetta store was triggered after the registered head load workers demanded loading/unloading work. The Nesto management argued that it has its own four labourers who possess labour cards issued by the state labour department. The Nesto workers had obtained the labour cards after approaching the high court.
The settlement was reached in a meeting called by Kalpetta municipality chairman Mujeeb Keyamthody on July 16. As per the settlement, the goods coming to the hypermarket in Nesto vehicles would be unloaded by the management's workers and that from all the other vehicles by the registered head load workers of the trade unions. The same condition will be applicable in unloading the items to the 11 outlets soon to be opened in the hypermarket. But TUs say that the less wage they offered exclusively to Nesto in the beginning, considering getting regular work on a daily basis, has been cut short to unloading vegetable items only following the stir.