THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Headload Workers’ Welfare Board, constituted in 1984 to regulate the employment of headload workers in the State, is getting ready to shoulder the mental pressure suffered by its members. In the first of its kind initiative in the country, the Thiruvananthapuram district committee of the Board will organise family counselling sessions for headload workers.
The reason: A high suicide rate among headload workers which has set alarm bells ringing among the office-bearers of the committee.
“Around 40 workers committed suicide in the district during the last three years,’’ said C. Chandrasenan Nair, chairman, district committee of the Board. According to him, most workers who committed suicide earned a salary of about Rs 20,000 per month. (The Board collects money from employers and disburses it as monthly salary to headload workers through banks)
According to the Board, financial indiscipline among the headload workers is the main reason behind this problem. “The average salary earned by workers range from Rs 7,500 to 16,000 a month. But, it is unfortunate that the salary amount is not spent judiciously by them. This financial mismanagement has led several workers to trouble,’’ Nair told Expresso.
The habit of borrowing money at huge interest rates from the ‘blade mafia’ has badly affected the lives of the headload workers. “Recently, we came to know that some workers of Chalai pool have borrowed money by giving the ATM cards of their salary accounts as mortgage. They don’t even know about the secret pin number. The moneylender holds full control of their salary account. Moreover, the workers have to pay huge amounts as interest,’’ the chairman said.
Considering these factors, the Board has decided to organise family counselling classes at each pool (a particular work area) of the district from July onwards. “The counselling classes, handled by Clinical Psychologists, will focus on how to follow correct financial discipline in their lives. A monitoring committee will be formed to conduct a monthly review to check how the worker spends his salary,’’ Nair said.
According to the chairman, the headload workers can be groomed into a social force if given proper awareness and chance to participate in social commitment programmes.
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