Employer can register headload workers: Kerala High Court

Information:

The Kerala High Court has held that inclination or willingness to do headload work with the consent of the employer will satisfy the requirements of the Kerala Headload Workers Act (this Act is similar to Maha. Mathadi Workers Act) to obtain registration as a headload worker.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas made the ruling while allowing a writ petition filed by Manzoor E., proprietor of a cashew packing unit in Kollam, and three others challenging the order of the assistant labour officer, Kollam, rejecting the application for registering their employees as headload workers.

Even in Maharashtra same or similar logic can be applied and employers should be allowed to engage Mathadi Workers of his own choice without the compulsion of recruiting them through Gangs/Tolis.

No doubt, Writ Petition needs to be filed for the purpose. However, I do not think so anyone has so far tried on these lines. Experiment can be done.