New system to weed out Nokku Kooli from Nov 1

KOCHI:  Aimed at eradicating ‘nokku kooli’ and other exorbitant labour charges, the Labour Department has formulated a new system which will be operational from November 1, said Labour Minister Shibu Baby John here on Saturday.The minister was speaking at an interactive session on ‘Draft Labour Policy’ by the UDF Government organised by the Kerala Chamber of  Commerce and Industry (KCCI). “As of now, the payment for attached and unattached labourers is remitted to the Welfare Boards from where the labourers get their wages. Once the system is operational, those who have utilised the service of labourers can make the payment via bank or through the website. There will be a unified charge for the work, which will published on website and displayed at other places,” he said. Referring to the industrial sector in the state, the minister said that Kerala has become unfit for heavy industries, but not because of labour issues.“There are many reasons, including unavailability of land and high prices for land, environment issues and climate. Tourism and human resources are the two major sectors that the state should focus on,” the Minister said. He said the state government, aiming to tap the domestic and global construction boom, has already announced a construction academy to train industry personnel ranging from masons to engineers. “Besides, the government is also planning to set up training institutions for safety and security and home nurses. The government alone may not be able to solve the issue of unemployment. We should direct our talented workforce to private sector also,” Shibu Baby John said.KCCI chairman Deepak L Aswani, senior  advocate Govind K. Bharathan, KCCI vice-chairman Francis Alappatt, Regional Labour Commissioner Vinson Alex and KCCI secretary Savio Mathew spoke.