Headload workers should be trained to handle machines that can load and unload goods and the loading and unloading jobs should be fully mechanised, according to the Kerala High Court.
Justice Devan Ramachandran orally observed that it was time to end the manual job of the headload workers. It’s high time that the headload work ended and the workers rehabilitated, he said.
Most of the headload workers are hard working ones, who lose their health as they reach the age of 50 or 60. The Kerala Headload Workers Act has also become outdated, the court noted.
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The court made the observations while considering a batch of petitions moved by headload workers seeking police protection in the wake of issues related to Nokkukooli.
The court posted the case for orders.