Trade union veteran and CITU leader Elamaram Kareem said here on Saturday that headload workers as a whole should not be blamed for isolated instances of wrong doing by some members. He said the workers did not support the practice of imposing “nokku kooli” or monetary compensation for notional works and that the workers should not be portrayed as anti-social elements. All trade unions had vowed that they would not impose “nokku kooli”, he said.
He was speaking at a meeting to reiterate the self respect of the headload workers here on Saturday.
He said the headload workers once belonged to the lowest strata of society. However, educated young people with great enthusiasm had taken up these jobs and the rights of the workers should be protected. It was in the background of their rights being questioned that trade unions had come together to reiterate their rights, said a communication. R. Chandrashekharan presided over the meeting organised in the city and K.P. Rajendran, AITUC State general secretary, was among those who spoke.
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