Introduction of secret ballot to measure the strength of the trade unions at the Cochin Port Trust will have to wait with the Cochin Port Staff Association (CPSA) expressing its objections to the introduction of the system in writing to the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner here.
A meeting of various trade unions was convened here to ascertain their views on replacing the present check-off system with the secret ballot. Under the present system, employees declare their alliance with the unions of their choice publicly.
However, the Union government had recently expressed its desire to introduce the secret ballot system to assess the membership of each of the registered trade unions at major ports in the country.
It is learnt that the CPSA had made its intentions clear at a national level meeting of the five federations of port and dock workers recently.
It is also learnt that representative of Cochin Thuramugha Thozhilali Union did not attend Thursday’s meeting convened by the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner S. Sekar. The unions that attended the meeting included Cochin Port Employees’ Sangh, Cochin Port Thozhilali Union, Cochin Harbour Workers’ Union, Cochin Port Employees’ Organisation, Cochin Port Labour Union and Cochin Port and Dock Employees’ Union.
