Who gets to lift over 8,500 kg of glass? Kochi startup, trade union face off in 4-day deadlock
Two young Kerala entrepreneurs recently faced a standoff with trade union workers, who insisted on unloading construction materials themselves.
The heated standoff between two entrepreneurs and trade union workers in Kochi, which lasted over four days, ended last Friday, with CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) allotting trained workers to unload construction material at the site.
The deadlock began last Tuesday after the trade union workers insisted on unloading toughened glass panels - over 100 panels, each weighing 85 kg - themselves despite being told that the fragile material required skilled handling using proper safety equipment.
The incident gained traction after coverage by Malayalam media and after one of the interior firm's founders took to LinkedIn to highlight what he called the "hard truth about starting a business in Kerala".
Speaking to HT.com, Louis Issac, co-founder of Idea House Coworking, confirmed that the standoff with CITU workers has now been resolved and that they were charged ₹30,000 by the union for unloading and moving the material.
"They only placed it in the 10-metre limit. From there we had to move it," Issac said.
The issue sparked a discussion online, with many agreeing with the entrepreneurs’ call for a more business-friendly environment in the state. The episode also brought back to light the issue of the banned "Nokku Kooli", a fee charged by trade union workers for the work either done by machine or others as their right. Nokku Kooli was banned in 2018 by the Left government but it is still prevalent in many parts of Kerala.
"The government must either disband the union or provide them with proper technical and safety training. Otherwise, we will not cooperate," Issac told HT.com, adding that a group of startup founders in Kerala has sought a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to put forth their demands.
"If unresolved, we're planning a statewide entrepreneurs' rally," he said.
Before the standoff was resolved, the police intervened and called both the workers and the entrepreneurs - Issac and his partner Anto Raffy - to the station for mediation.
In June, a car dealership worker at Kochi died after being crushed by a Range Rover while the luxury car was being unloaded from a trailer reportedly by a trade union worker.
