Employees of a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company based at Technopark have lodged a complaint with the Labour Commissioner alleging ill-treatment and refusal to pay minimum wages.
Following a written petition to Labour Minister Shibu Baby John on Wednesday, Kazhakuttam Assistant Labour Officer Ram Mohan, who inquired into the complaint, said the company was found to have flouted rules.
“The company has neither maintained the mandatory register of employees nor obtained the Labour Commissioner's approval to maintain electronic data. It was also found that the company had not yet registered under the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act (1960). A report will be submitted to the commissioner on Thursday,” Mr.Mohan said.
The company was launched at Technopark two months ago with 50 employees. Sources said 28 employees (complainants) were selected through interviews in January. They received offer letters in April, following which they joined for work on April 24.
“Most of us have previous work experience and joined as associates. They orally communicated to us that we will receive salary at the end of the month. We were given six days' training and had worked in 10-hour shifts. The officials told us that our salary will be credited on May 30. When it was delayed, we came to the office to enquire about it,” said B. Jelaja, who joined as a shift-in-charge.
However, on Wednesday, the employees were not allowed to enter the office. They said a list with their photos was circulated inside Technopark, which apparently ‘blacklisted' them from entering the building or applying for other companies.
The management also failed to attend a meeting arranged by the Kazhakuttam police in the afternoon. According to the police, a meeting between the complainants and the management will be held on Thursday.
Technopark CEO Girish Babu said the management was not available for comment. The company was also found to have raised conflicting statements regarding the training period and remuneration, he said.
