Kollam (Kerala), Aug 23 (IANS) The Kerala government has assured an investigation into the incident in which a young woman in Kollam was forced to unload a truck full of tiles by herself on Friday night after a group of trade union workers allegedly demanded an exorbitant fee for the work.

The workers who are reportedly members of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, the ruling CPI-M’s trade union wing in the state, allegedly blocked the construction workers and neighbours who tried to assist the woman, forcing her to unload all the tiles by herself at night.

Kerala Labour Minister, V. Sivankutty, reportedly talked to the woman identified as Priya Vinod, a resident of Kadakkal in Kollam, and assured a probe into the incident soon after the news was reported by the local media.

Priya, the homeowner, single-handedly worked for over two hours in the night to unload approximately 150 boxes of floor tiles after the workers from the CITU reportedly insisted on a higher-than-usual wage, a local media report said.

After the intervention of Sivankutty, who is also the General Education Minister, the district labour officer visited the house on Saturday to collect a statement from the woman as part of the inquiry.

“The government will take strong action against such actions,” the minister’s office confirmed.

After Priya refused to pay the hefty charges (known as ‘nokkukooli’, the charges demanded by workers for loading, unloading, or merely supervising, even when they are not hired for the task) demanded by the workers, they allegedly prevented the unloading of the tiles by others who came to help her.

The construction workers hired for the job also reportedly refused to help with the unloading, as union workers stood by until she finished unloading all the tiles late at night.

The practice ‘nokkukooli’ was once common among head-load workers affiliated to various trade unions in Kerala.

The Kerala High Court had, in 2021, declared as unconstitutional the demand for ‘nokkukooli’ by trade unions or registered headload workers or any person in any form and manner.

Kerala Chief Minister, soon after assuming power in 2016, had assured that ‘nokkukooli’ would not be allowed in the state.

–IANS

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