Trade unions have sought the formation of Labour Contract Societies with a definite byelaw for ensuring better living conditions for the larger workforce, including migrant workers and those engaged in private security jobs.
This was one of the suggestions thrown up at a consultative meeting convened by Mayor Tony Chammany on Wednesday in connection with drawing up the Smart City Proposal (SCP).
Kochi has been the only city selected from Kerala under the Union Ministry of Urban Development’s Smart Cities Mission project aimed at developing 100 cities across the country as smart cities. The Corporation is expected to submit the final SCP by December 17 to get Kochi considered for selection in the first 20 cities to be developed under the Smart City Project. Trade union leaders and workers came up with smart proposals at the meeting including the timely completion of City Gas Project and its inclusion as a smart solution in the SCP.
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Workers suggested changing the colour of autorickshaws to the city’s officially accepted colour of ocean blue and that of their uniform colour from the existing khaki to another attractive colour. Trade unions put forward a proposal to make the city a logistics hub and a Smart Kochi Travel Card integrating all transportation modes. Regulating the proliferation of private vehicles in the city, curbing pollution and modernisation of public transport should also be made part of SCP, they demanded. In a meeting held later, autorickshaw workers expressed their willingness to operate a fully modernised autorickshaw service. They realised the need to adapt to the changing time by adapting to a mobile app-driven service in the city.