Even as the State government is drawing flak for its rehabilitation package for the survivors of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslides in Wayanad district, a joint trade union has decided to launch a protest against the government’s plan to evict workers of the Pulpara division of Elstone Estate in Kalpetta municipality without providing them adequate compensation prior to laying the stone for the township foundation project at the estate on March 27.
The Wayanad Estate Labour Union, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), is leading the protest.
P. Gagarin, district treasurer, also former district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), P.P. Ali, district president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, N. Venugopal (Malabar Workers Union), C.H. Mammi (CITU district president), and U. Karunan (CITU district general secretary) were on Tuesday present at a press meet announcing the protest.
All workers of Elstone Estate will be part of a token protest at the Wayanad Collectorate on March 22, Saturday. If the issue remained unresolved, their family members would join them in laying siege to the Collectorate in the second stage. The third stage of the protest would be to lay their claim on the land in question, the leaders said.
The provident fund share of the employees as well as the employers since 2014 had not been remitted in their provident fund accounts. Around 150 retired employees had not been paid their gratuity.
They were also eligible for other benefits.
“The government also needs to ensure the job security of the workers in the factory as well as on the field as the Pulpara division had been completely shut down, the leaders said.
The union leaders welcomed the government move to rehabilitate the survivors of the landslides at the estate. However, they also demanded that the issues of the 300-odd workers at the estate be also addressed at the same time.
The union appealed to the Department of Labour, the Labour Commissioner, the District Collector and the District Labour Officer to resolve these issues. However, there had been no move so far even to discuss the matter, they said.
Published – March 18, 2025 08:43 pm IST