BY RASHIT KALRA
The Kerala High Court stays a request passed by DLO (DLO) of Palakkad permitting headload labourers at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns to charge ‘atti-cash’ (stacking charge) and ‘kettu-cash’ (loading charge)
Single-judge Justice AM Badar given notification to the respondents including the District Collector and DLO of Palakkad just as Kerala State Civil Supplies Cooperation Ltd. (SUPPLYCO) and the General Manager of FCI Regional Office.
The appeal was recorded by the owner of M/s Central Engineering Company testing the act of charging extra stacking and loading charges by the head load labourers utilized by FCI at different godowns where the petitioner works.
The appeal, recorded through Advocate RB Marar, expressed that the applicant had taken part in the E-Tender welcomed by SUPPLY CO, for lifting, transportation, dealing with and conveyance of apportioning articles from source godowns to objective godowns. He was subsequently granted the delicate for Palakkad and Chittoor Taluk and executed the Agreement.
Nonetheless, soon after that, the head load labourers at the FCI godowns began requesting extra wages as ‘Atti-Cash’ and ‘Kettu-Cash’, the plea asserted.
As indicated by the applicant the equivalent is illicit and unreasonable in law as bearings have been given by different experts in the past to not give any extra wages to the specialists at FCI godowns, as they are salaried workers of the FCI.
The petitioner brought this issue up in a gathering called by the District Collector, Palakkad and favoured a portrayal before the General Manager, FCI looking for an explanation in regards to the extra instalments requested, the plea said.
Accordingly, it is presented that he got a letter on June 1, 2021, from the Assistant General Manager of FCI, Thiruvananthapuram guiding the specialists to make a vital move against the labourers who are requesting additional wages for the work as against the arrangement of Model Standing Orders outlined under Industrial Employment (Standing requests) Act 1946.
The essential dispute of the candidate was that the arrangements of the Kerala Headload Workers’ Act are relevant to the entire of Kerala in regard to all foundations with the exception of those which are claimed and constrained by the Central Government.
At the conference last week, advocate Marar presented that the Food Corporation of India is a foundation possessed and constrained by the Central Government and all things considered, the arrangements of the Kerala Headload Workers’ Act are not appropriate to the Food Corporation of India.
He further contended that subsequently, the DLO has no locale in regard to the workers of the Food Corporation of India.
The Court saw merit in the contentions of the petitioner and remained the request given by the DLO which permitted charging of ‘atti-kooli’ for a time of ten weeks after which the case will be heard once more.
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