INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

In the Labour Department, conciliation machinery consists of the Labour Commissioner, Additional Labour commissioner (IR), Regional Joint Labour commissioners, Kollam, Ernakulam and Kozhikode, Deputy Labour Commissioner (HQ) Deputy Labour commissioner (IR), Ernakulam, District Labour Officers (General), Deputy Labour Officers, Assistant Labour Officers Gr.I and Inspectors of Agricultural Labour. The industrial disputes are settled mainly through the intervention of the conciliation officers ie. through the process of conciliation. If conciliation fails, the dispute is referred to adjudication by Labour Courts/ Industrial Tribunals. Besides the DLOS are the conciliation officers of the Kerala Head Load Workers Act, 1978 with powers to settle/decide disputes.

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMITTEES

The Industrial Relations committees are constituted by the Government of Kerala under the chairmanship of Labour commissioner for maintaining industrial peace and harmony in the respective industrial sectors. The members of the IRCs are persons having thorough knowledge about the issues experienced by the employers and workmen. Equal number of representatives from employers’ side and trade union side are included in these IRCs.

The Industrial Relations committees after discussions arrive at decisions regarding wage revision, bonus, service conditions of the workers of the respective industry etc. Although the decisions / settlements of the IRCs are not enforceable by law, the settlement / decision taken by the IRCs are considered as a general agreement in the State as a whole.

At present 12 Industrial Relations committees are functioning in the State. Details of these IRCs are as follows:-

IRC for Toddy Tapping Industry
IRC for Motor Transport Industry
IRC for Cashew Industry
IRC for for Kuttanad Agricultural Sector.
IRC for Coir Industry
IRC for Construction Industry
IRC for Beedi and Cigar Industry
IRC for Textile Industry
IRC for Timber, Plywood, Matches and Saw Mill Industry
IRC for Palakkad Agricultural sector
IRC for Plantation Labour Committee
IRC for Tripartite Committee for Cardamom Industry

MINIMUM WAGES COMMITTEES

Minimum Wages Committees are being constituted by the Govt. for the purpose of fixation and revision of Minimum rates of Wages under section 5 (I) of the Minimum Wages Act 1948. Minimum Wages Advisory Board is also functioning for advising the Govt. in this regard.

LIST OF SCHEDULED EMPLOYMENTS IN THE MINIMUM WAGES ACT 1948

(a) Employments originally included in the schedule

Employment in any woolen carpet making or shawl weaving establishment
Employment in any rice mill, flour mill or dhall mill
Employment in any tobacco (including beedi making manufactory)
Employment in any plantation that is to say any estate which is maintained for the purpose of growing cinchona, rubber, tea, coffee cardamom
Employment in any oil mill
Employment under any local authority
Employment in the construction or maintenance of roads or in building operations.
Employment in stone breaking or stone crushing
Employment in Lac manufactory (not fixed)
Employment in mica works (not fixed)
Employment in Public motor transport
Employment in tanneries and leather manufactory

(b) Employments Subsequently added to the schedule by the State Govt

Employment in manufacture of coir
Employment in cashew
Employment in salt pan (not fixed)
Employment in water boat transport other than motor boat transport (not fixed)
Employment in printing presses
Employment in the tile manufactory
Employment in toddy tapping industry
Employment in match industry
Employment in shops and establishments (including hotels and restaurants)
Employment in timber
Employment in brick manufactories
Employment in banks (not fixed)
Employment in handloom
Employment in plywood
Employment in minor ports
Employment for works in forests
Employment in rubber products
Employment in minor engineering
Employment in the construction or maintenance of dams
Employment in fish peeling, fish canning freezing and exporting of seafood and frog legs.
Employment in the hill produce
Employment in the manufacture of ayurvedic and allopathic medicine
Employment in the power loom and (excluding the workers employed in power loom section of the cotton textile mills)
Employment in the handling and care of elephants
Employment in drying of coconut for making them copra.
Employment in hosiery manufactory
Employment in ice factories
Employment in the manufacture and sale of umbrellas.
Employment in hostels
Employment in rubber crepe mills
Employment in liquor trading and vending
Employment in the cinema theatres
Employment in crumb rubber factories.
Employment in collection of river sand its loading and unloading
Employment in the manufacture of aluminum and tin products
Employment in light motor vehicles
Employment in oil palm plantations
Employment in marble and granite
Employment in food processing and in toffee, bakery coming under the Factories Act, ice creams, soft drinks etc.
Employment in electric equipment, home appliances and operation of software systems.
Employment in soap manufactory
Employment in computer software
Employment in plastic
Employment in wire cut bricks
Employment in screen printing
Employment in handicrafts
Employment in garment making
Employment in film production (cancelled as per Go (R+) 468/02/LBR dated 2-2-02 in the schedule of firms Act)
Employment in diamond cutting and polishing
Employment in khadi
Employment in cane and bamboo
Employment in security service
Employment in mechanized fish catching
Employment in production of motion pictures and Tele films
Employment in private educational institutions (non teaching)
Employment in private hospitals, dispensaries, pharmacies, clinical laboratories, scanning centers, X-ray units and other allied institutions
Employment in LPG (cooking gas)
Employment in electronic industry including export processing zone
Employment in sales promotion of pharmaceutical products
Employment in petrol pumps.
Employment in star hotels

LIST OF EMPLOYMENT FOR WHICH MINIMUM WAGES HAS BEEN FIXED SO FAR

Agricultural Operations
Ayurvedic and Allopathic Medicines.
Beedi and Cigar Industry
Bricks Manufacturing
Block Rubber Factories
Coir Industry
Cashew Industry
Climbing of Aracanut Trees & in Dairy Farming
Cinema Industry
Construction, Maintaince of roads or in Building Operations, and Stone Breaking and Stone Crushing.
Drying of Coconut making for Copra
Fish Peeling, Fish Canning
Employment in Forest
Handling and Care of Elephants.
Hostels
Hill Producing Industry
Handloom Industry
Hosiery Industry
Ice Factories
Liquor Trading & Vending Industry
Light Motor Vehicles
L.P. Gas (Cooking) Agencies
Match Industry
Minor Ports
Minor Engineering Industry
Minor Engineering in Handloom Industry
Manufacture and Sale of Umbrellas
Oil Milling Industry
Oil Palm Plantations
Pharmacists in Medical Shops
Private Hospital (Dietician) (Amendment)
Printing Press
Plantations
Private Hospitals and Allied Institutions
Powerloom Industry
Rice Mill, Flour Mill and Dhal Mills
Rubber Products Industry
Rubber Crepe Mills
River Sand Collection and its Loading and Unloading
Shops and Establishments
Tile Industry
Timber and Plywood Industry
Toddy Tapping Industry

ENFORCEMENT

Enforcement of the various labour legislations is mainly carried out through 100 Assistant Labour Officers (Grade II) and 10 Inspectors of Plantations. The Assistant Labour Officers are controlled and supervised by 11 District Labour Officers (E) in the Districts except in Idukki, Wayanad and Pathanamthitta where District Labour Officers (G) is entrusted with the enforcement functions also. A state Advisory Contract Labour Board has been constituted and functioning in the State for advising the Govt. in the

matter of abolition of contract labour. The Inspectors of Plantations are functioning under the Chief Inspector of Plantations, an Officer in the cadre of Joint Labour Commissioner, whose headquarters is at Kottayam. The chief Inspector and the 10 Inspectors of Plantations function as a separate Inspectorate for enforcement of Plantations Labour Act 1951 and other labour laws applicable to Plantations in the State. The Assistant Labour Officers are the notified inspectors under 18 Labour Legislations. The Assistant Labour Officers and the District Labour Officers (E) are supervised and controlled by three Regional Joint Labour Commissioner at Kollam, Ernakulam and Kozhikode. The Additional Labour Commissioner (E) in the office of the Labour Commissioner has overall supervisory charge of the enforcement officers in the state. Besides this, the Labour Commissioner and all other officers in the Labour Commissionerate are empowered to carry out the functions of inspectors under all the 18 legislations mentioned above. A District Labour Officer (HQ) in the Office of the Labour Commissioner is functioning as the Inspector of News paper establishments, for the whole state.

For effective functioning of the enforcement wing, the inspections in establishments are steamlined in such a way that the establishments employing 50 to 250 employees are being inspected by the District Labour Officers (E) while establishments employing more than 250 employees are put in charge inspected by the Regional Joint Labour Commissioners.

A special inspection squad for Cashew Industry constituted with the co-operation of different departments, like Provident Fund, E.S.I. etc. have played a very significant role in ensuring various legal benefits payable to the Cashew Workers in the State.

Quasi-Judicial Functions

All the Deputy Labour Commissioners except Deputy Labour Commissioner (IR), Ernakulam and Dy.Labour Commissioner (HQ) are acting as authorities exclusively dealing quasi-judicial functions under the labour enactments given below:-

Workmen’s Compensation Act.
Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments Act (Shop appeal)
Claims under Minimum Wages Act
Kerala Payment of Salaries Allowance Act
Kerala Casual Temporary and Badali workers Act
Kerala Industrial Employment (Standing orders), Act;

The Regional Joint Labour Commissioners are functioning as Appellate Authorities under the Kerala Head Load workers Act, Payment of Gratuity Act, Kerala Industrial Employment (standing orders) Act, etc. The DLOS are the controlling authority under the Payment of Gratuity Act, and Conciliation Officer under the Kerala Head Load Workers Act for settling / deciding disputes under the said Act besides other functions.

SOCIAL SECURITY MEASURES / WELFARE SCHEMES

IMPLEMENTED BY LABOUR DEPARTMENT

1. KERALA AGRICULTURAL WORKERS PENSION SCHEME

(a) The scheme was brought into force with effect from 1.4.1980 as per GO (P) No.31/82/LBR dt.26.4.1980.The Agricultural workers who have completed 60 years of age and whose annual income does not exceed Rs.1500/- are eligible to be a member of the fund as per GOVERNMENT ORDER (P)No.23/82/LBR dt.13.7.1982.

Agricultural Workers for the schemes means a person who, in consideration of the wages payable to him by a landowner, works on, or does any other agricultural operation in relation to the agricultural land of such landowners for a period of not less than ten years.

Monthly pension from	1.4.80	Rs.45/-
“	1.4.87	Rs.60/-
“	1.8.91	Rs.70/-
“	12.8.91	Rs.80/-
“	1.8.96	Rs.100/-
“	1.4.2000	Rs.120/-

(b) Pension disbursed for the period upto 31.03.2003as on14.03.2005

II. Kerala Tree Climbers Welfare Scheme, 1980.

The above Scheme provides financial assistance to tree-climbers who met with accidents while climbing trees. This scheme brought into force with effect from 1.4.1979 and actually implemented from 1980-81 onwards as per GO (P) 40/80/LBR dt.13.5.1980.

Financial Assistance for permanent Rs.10,000/-
total disablement

Financial Assistance for Death Rs.10,000/-

III. CASH RELIEF TO CLOSED CASHEW FACTORIES / PLANTATIONS AND OTHER FACTORIES

The Kerala Cashew Workers Welfare Scheme provides for distress relief to employees of closed Cashew factories, Plantations and other factories during Onam Festival.

The amount of financial assistance paid is as follows:-

1. Employees of Cashew factories : @ Rs.200/-
2. Plantation and other factories : @ Rs.1000/-

THERE ARE 12 STATUTORY WELFARE FUND BOARD AND FOUR WELFARE FUND SCHEME FOR IMPLEMENTING VARIOUS WELFARE SCHEMES TO DIFFERENT SECTOR OF LABOURERS

Kerala Abkari Workers Welfare Fund Board, Thiruvanathapuram
Kerala Agriculture Workers Welfare Fund Board, Trissur
Kerala Building & Other Constructions Workers Welfare Fund Board, Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala Cashew Workers Relief & Welfare Fund Board, Kollam
Kerala Handloom Workers Welfare Fund Board, Kannur
Kerala Headload Workers Welfare Fund Board, Ernakulam
Kerala labour Welfare Fund Board, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Motor Transport Workers Welfare Fund Board, Kollam
Kerala Tailoring Workers welfare Fund Board, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Toddy Workers Welfare Fund Board, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Beedi & Cigar Workers Welfare Fund Board, Kozhikode
Kerala Bamboo Kattuvally and Pandanus Leaf Workers Welfare Fund Board, Ankamali, Ernakulam.
Kerala Artisans workers welfare scheme with kerala labour welfare fund Board
Kerala Autoriksha workers welfare sheme. (with Kerala Motor Transport workers welfare fund Board)
Kerala Barbers welfare scheme (G.O(P) 2/04/LBR dated 3-1-2004) (Newly constituted)
Kerala Loundary workers welfare scheme (G.O.(P) 1/04/LBR dated 3-1-2004) (Newly constituted)
Kerala Motor Workshop Workers welfare scheme (Newly constituted)

ESTABLISHMENT
Total Staff Strength of the Department :

Labour Commissioner	1
Addl. Labour Commissioner	2
Joint Labour Commissioner	5
Administrative Officer	1
Publicity Officer	1
Law Officer	1
Finance Officer	1
Dy . Labour Commissioner	9
Dist. Labour Officer	26
Administrative Assistant	2
Dy. Labour Officer	19
Research Officer	1
Senior Superintendent	22
Junior Superintendent	34
Asst. Labour Officer Gr.1	13
Inspector of Agrl. Labour	12
Inspector of Plantation	10
Asst. Labour Officer Gr.11	101
Head Clerk	3
U.D Clerk	200
L.D. Clerk	201
Confidential Assistant	24
Research Assistant	1
Publicity Assistant	1
Librarian	1
Compliers	2
Clerk Typist	11
Typist( including FCS)	69
Duffedar	1
Record Attender	1
Roneo Operator	1
Binder	1
Peon	188
Night Watcher	2
PartTime Sewepers	36

IMPORTANT TELEPHONES

Minister for Labour	0471 2326772
Secretary to Govt.	0471 2518554
OFFICE OF THE LABOUR COMMISSIONER
Labour Commissioner	0471 2331493
Addl. Labour Commissioner(IR)	0471 2331479
Addl. Labour Commissioner (Enforcement)	0471 2331112
Joint Labour Commissioner (Planning)	0471 2330906

Dy. Labour Commissioner (HQ)	0471 2331112
Administrative Officer	0471 2331493
Finance Officer	0471 2331493
Law Officer	0471 2330906
Publicity Officer	0471 2331457
Dist. Labour Officer (HQ)	0471 2331112
Administrative Assistant	0471 2331457
Research Officer	0471 2331457
P.A. to Labour Commissioner	0471 2330414
Asst. Labour Officer (HQ)	0471 2331457
SUB OFFICES
Regl. Joint Labour Commissioner, Kozhikode	0495 2371578
Regl. Joint. Labour Commissioner, Kollam	0474 2792342
Regl. Joint Labour Commissioner, Ernakulam	0484 2422244
Chief Inspector of Plantations, Kottayam	0481 2566672
Dy. Labour Commissioner, Kollam	0474 2792342
Dy. Labour Commr. Kottayam	0481 2564178
Dy. Labour Commr. Ernakulam (IR)	0484 2422244
Dy. Labour Commr. Ernakulam (CWC)	0484 2422244
Dy. Labour Commr. Thrissur	0487 2424674
Dy Labour Commr. Kozhikode	0495 2371578
Dy. Labour Commr., Kannur	0497 2711720
Dy. Labour Commr. & Secretary, State Advisory Contract Labour Board, Thiruvananthapuram	0471 2472107
DISTRICT LABOUR OFFICERS
Dist. Labour Officer (E), Thiruvananthapuram	0471 2472107
Dist. Labour Officer, Kollam	0474 2794820
Dist. Labour Officer (E) Kollam	0474 2794820
Dist. Labour Officer, Pathanamthitta	0473 2322234
Dist. Labour Officer, Alappuzha	0477 2243515
Dist. Labour Officer(E), Alappuzha	0477 2243515
Dist. Labour Officer, Kottayam	0481 2564365
Dist. Labour Officer (E), Kottayam	0481 2564365
Dist. Labour Officer, Idukki, Thodupuzha	0486 2222363
Dist. Labour Officer, Ernakulam	0484 2423110
Dist. Labour Officer (E), Ernakulam	0484 2433110
Dist. Labour Officer, Thrissur	0487 2360469
Dist. Labour Officer (E), Thrissur	0487 2360469
Dist. Labour Officer, Palakkad	0491 2536684
Dist Labour Officer (E), Palakkad	0491 2536684
Dist. Labour Officer, Malappuram	0483 2734814
Dist. Labour Officer(E), Malappuram	0483 734814
Dist. Labour Officer, Kozhikode	0495 2370538
Dist. Labour Officer (E), Kozhikode	0495 2370538
Dist. Labour Officer, Wayanad	0495 2603905
Dist. Labour Officer, Kannur	0497 2700353
Dist. Labour Officer (E), Kannur	0497 2700353
Dist. Labour Officer, Kasaragode	04994 256950
Dist. Labour Officer (E) Kasaragod	04994 256950
DEPUTY LABOUR OFFICERS
PLACE	OFFICE
Thiruvananthapuram	0471-2472107
Kollam	0474-2794820
Pathanamthitta	0493-2322234
Kottayam	0481-2564365
Alappuzha	0477-2243515
Idukki	0486-2222363
Ernakulam	0484-2423110
Thrissur	0487-2360469
Palakkad	0491-2536684
Kozhikode	0495-2370538
Wayanad	0493-2603905
Malappuram	0483-2734814
Kannur	0497-2603905
Kochi	0484-2217240
Nedumkandam	04864-232748
Munnar	04865-230384
Peerumedu	04869-232022
Punalur	0475-2225803
Govt. Central Press	0481-2331234
ASSISTANT LABOUR OFFICERS GRADE – I
Thiruvananthapuram	2472107
Kollam	2794820
Pathanamthitta	2322234
Thrissur	2243515
Kottayam	2564365
Thodupuzha	2222363
Ernakulam	2422244
Palakkad	2536684
Malappuram	2273481
Kozhikode	2370538
Kannur	2700353
Kasargode	2430117
INSPECTORS OF AGRICULTURAL LABOUR
Thiruvananthapuram	2472107
Kollam	2794820
Pathanamthitta	2322234
Alappuzha	2243515
Kottayam	2564365
Thodupuzha, Idukki	2222363
Ernakulam	2423110
Thrissur	2360469
Palakkad	2536684
Malappuram	2734814
Kozhikode	2370538
Kannur	2700353
INSPECTORS OF PLANTATION
Nedumangad	2879086
Pathanamthitta	2322234
Vandanmedu	2232022
Peerumedu	2230384
Munnar
Aluva
Nenmara
Manjeri
Kapetta
Mananthavadi
ASSISTANT LABOUR OFFICERS GRADE – II
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DISTRICT
Varkala
Attingal
Chirayinkil
Trivandrum - I	2331619
Trivandrum – II	2331619
Trivandrum – III	2331619
Nedumangadu	Neyyattinkara
KOLLAM DISTRICT
Paravoor
Kollam – I	2794820
Kollam – II	2792342
Kundara
Kottarakkara