KOCHI: The tussle between the online taxi drivers and management of Uber and Ola Cabs over the regularisation of driver jobs is likely to be settled before March with the state Labour Department’s Industrial Tribunal stating that it will give its order “within a period of three months”. An order passed by the Labour and Skills Department said “in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 10 (1) (d) of Industrial Disputes Act of 1947 (Central Act XIV of 1947) the government hereby directs that the said industrial dispute be referred for adjudication of the Industrial Tribunal, Thrissur.
The Industrial Tribunal will pass the award within a period of three months.”
The Tribunal will decide whether the demand of All-Kerala Online Taxi Drivers Union, including consistent wage structure, regularisation of employment and mode of payment by the management are justifiable, the order said.
T R S Kumar, president of Online Taxi Drivers Union, said the Union has over 7,000 drivers under its fold - 100 per cent in Thiruvananthapuram and about 90 per cent in Ernakulam.
“Our argument is that the drivers can’t be terminated without valid reasons by the online taxi companies. There is proper employee-employer relationship. The payment is made to the drivers by the companies,” said Kumar.
The fact that the government has decided there is an industrial dispute by itself is a big victory for the drivers, he said. Another union of online drivers viz Kerala Online Drivers Union have been on the strike path raising various demands such as exorbitant commission charged by Uber and Ola, hike in wages by implementing the government-decided fare and ending pool and share system.
Check
The Tribunal will decide whether the demand of Union, including consistent wage structure, regularisation of employment and mode of payment by the management are justifiable