Kerala HC says state's reputation at stake due to Nokku Kooli; 'militant trade unionism'

In a key development, the Kerala High Court on October 7 stated the continual incidents of nokku kooli, literally gawking wages or wages for (just) looking, have shaded the state's image to 'militant trade unionism'. Disappointed by such incidents, the Kerala HC stated the prevalence of gawking wages has been deterring investors from venturing into the state. Aiming to eradicate such practices, the Court ordered that it does not want to hear the term Nokku Kooli in Kerala hereafter. 

"This practice was banned years ago. But it was not fully implemented. The government should take stern action against those who demand nokku kooli," the court said. 

Kerala HC fed up with nokku kooli (gawking wages) cases

Justice Devan Ramachandran further directed the police to impose stringent measures against anyone, irrespective of party affiliations, who demand extortion of wages given the act is illegal and unlawful. The Court's directions surface while hearing a case of an owner of a hotel seeking police protection with an objective to carry out his business without the intervention of organised labour unions in Kerala. 

What is nokku kooli in Kerala trade practices?

Stating that Kerala has a 'reputation of militant trade unionism', the High Court admitted the situation ought to change in a bid to convert the state into investor-friendly. Notably, nokku kooli is a euphemism that refers to the practice in Kerala businesses, wherein headloaders charge money for staring at people loading or unloading cargo, generally paid to organised trade unions (CITU, INTUC, BMS, etc) for allowing investors/builders to unload materials either with machinery or their own labourers. 

The modus operandi is usually that once a quarry/carrier is spotted, the members of unions are informed to descend en masse to the spot for offloading purposes. The union leaders often demand high rates to offload and while they demand one's right to work, the work is not marked by an obligation to be efficient. Therefore, the usual compromise is that investors or builders pay the union workers a certain amount just for watching while the assignment is carried out by machinery. Due to the prevalence of nokku kooli in Kerala trade practices, especially in the capital city of Trivandrum, over many decades, the practice has come to be known as a quasi-judicial one. However, CM Pinarayi Vijayan in April 2018 vouched full support of the trade unions to end the practice and inscribe it in Kerala's history. 

Kerala HC's observations in nokku kooli fearing case

Justice Ramachandran made observations pertaining to violence spewing out of the practices backed by trade unions and said it was no solution or remedy to deny employment and if it has happened, the labourer who has been denied a job must knock doors of the labour board. Citing the incident of nokku kooli by workers to allow an ISRO truck into the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre facility in the state capital marks a major embarrassment to Kerala.