Major Functions

Labour Department is instrumental in maintaining cordial industrial relations. Its conciliation machinery consists of the Labour Commissioner, Additional Labour commissioner (IR), Regional Joint Labour commissioners, Deputy Labour Commissioner (HQ), District Labour Officers (General), Deputy Labour Officers and Assistant Labour Officers Gr.I. The industrial disputes are settled mainly through the intervention of the conciliation officers through the process of conciliation. If conciliation fails, the dispute is referred for adjudication by Labour Courts/ Industrial Tribunals. Besides DLO is the conciliation officers of the Kerala Head Load Workers Act, 1978 with powers to settle/decide disputes.

Industrial Relations Committees

The Government of Kerala, under the chairmanship of Labour commissioner, for maintaining industrial peace and harmony, constitutes the Industrial Relations committees. The members of the IRC are persons having thorough knowledge about the issues experienced by the employers and workmen. Equal number of representatives from employers and trade union are included in the IRC. The Industrial Relations committees through discussions arrive at decisions on wage revision, bonus, service conditions of the workers of the respective industry etc. Though the decisions / settlements of IRC are not enforceable by law, the settlement / decision taken by the committee are considered as a general agreement in the State as a whole. At present 11 Industrial Relations committees are functioning in the State.

They are :-

1. IRC for Toddy Tapping Industry

2. IRC for Motor Transport Industry

3. IRC for Cashew Industry

4. IRC for Kuttanad Agricultural Sector

5. IRC for Coir Industry

6. IRC for Private Hospital

7. Plantation Labour Committee

8. IRC for Supplyco

9. IRC for News Paper Industry

10. IRC for Textile Industry

11. IRC Board

Enforcement of the various labour legislations is mainly carried out through 101 Assistant Labour Officers (Grade II) and 10 Inspectors of Plantations. The Assistant Labour Officers are controlled and supervised by 11 District Labour Officers (E) in the Districts except in Idukki, Wayanad and Pathanamthitta where District Labour Officers (G) is entrusted with the enforcement functions also. A state Advisory Contract Labour Board has been constituted and functioning in the State for advising the Govt. in the matter of abolition of contract labour.

The Inspectors of Plantations are functioning under the Chief Inspector of Plantations, an Officer in the cadre of Joint Labour Commissioner, whose headquarters is at Kottayam. The chief Inspector and the 10 Inspectors of Plantations function as a separate Inspectorate for enforcement of Plantations Labour Act 1951 and other labour laws applicable to Plantations in the State. The Assistant Labour Officers are the notified inspectors under 18 Labour Legislations. The Assistant Labour Officers and the District Labour Officers (E) are supervised and controlled by three Regional Joint Labour Commissioner at Kollam, Ernakulam and Kozhikode.

The Additional Labour Commissioner (E) in the office of the Labour Commissioner has overall supervisory charge of the enforcement officers in the state. Besides this, the Labour Commissioner and all other officers in the Labour Commissionerate are empowered to carry out the functions of inspectors under all the 18 legislations mentioned above. A District Labour Officer (HQ) in the Office of the Labour Commissioner is functioning as the Inspector of News paper establishments, for the whole state.

For effective functioning of the enforcement wing, the inspections in establishments are streamlined in such a way that the establishments employing 50 to 250 employees are being inspected by the District Labour Officers (E) while establishments employing more than 250 employees are put in charge inspected by the Regional Joint Labour Commissioners. Special inspection squads for Cashew Industry constituted with the co-operation of different departments, like Provident Fund, E.S.I. etc. have played a very significant role in ensuring various benefits payable to the Cashew Workers in the State.

All the Deputy Labour Commissioners except Deputy Labour Commissioner (IR), Ernakulam and Dy.Labour Commissioner (HQ) are acting as authorities exclusively dealing quasi-judicial functions under the labour enactments given below:-

1. Workmens' Compensation Act.
2. Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments Act (Shop appeal).
3. Claims under Minimum Wages Act.
4. Kerala Payment of Subsistence Allowance Act.
5. Kerala Casual Temporary and Badli workers Act.
6. Kerala Industrial Employment (Standing orders) Act.

The Regional Joint Labour Commissioners are functioning as Appellate Authorities under the Kerala Head Load workers Act, Deputy Labour Commissioners are functioning as authority under Payment of Gratuity Act, Kerala Industrial Employment (standing orders) Act, Payment of Gratuity Act etc. District Labour Officers are functioning as Conciliation Officers under the Kerala Head Load Workers Act for settling / deciding disputes under the said Act besides other functions.

Schemes and Programmes

(1) Kerala Agriculture Workers Welfare Pension
This is one of the major Welfare Scheme implemented by Government of Kerala since 1980. The very intension of the Scheme is to give pension to the labourers in Agricultural field who attained the age of 60 and worked as agricultural labourer and hold the membership in Kerala Agricultural Workers Welfare Fund Board. The amount of pension is `400/-

(2) Kerala Tree Climbers Welfare Scheme
The Scheme started w.e.f 1/4/1979. The Scheme envisages payment of ex-gratia financial assistance to workers in the event of permanent total disablement (`25000)or to the dependants of the workers in the case of death(`50000).

(3) Ex-gratia/festival allowance to the workers of closed down cashew factories
A Scheme for giving ex-gratia/festival allowance to the workers of closed down cashew factories as festival allowance during Onam Season.

(4) Estate Workers (Distress Relief) Welfare Fund Scheme
A Scheme for giving distress relief to the estate workers

(5) Daily Waged Employees Distress Relief Fund Scheme
Introduced during 2007-08, the Scheme is for providing help to the unorganized daily waged workers.

(6) Kerala Unorganized Retired Workers Pension Fund Scheme
This Scheme came into force w.e.f 1/8/2008. This Scheme is applicable to unorganized workers including Nilathezhuthu Asan/Asatty who attained the age of 60 as on the date of implementation of the Scheme and those workers covered under the definition of workers in the artisans skilled workers welfare scheme 1991 for giving pension on attaining the age of 60, but does not include anyone who receive any pension either from Government in the form is Welfare Pension or from Statutory Board made for the welfare of workers. The amount of pension is `400/-

(7) Rashtriya Swasthya Bhima Yojana and Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
RSBY is one of the Welfare Scheme formulated by the Government of India under the unorganized Workers Security Act, 2008 to provide quality medical services to those in the BPL list through hospitals in Government and private sector.
State Government has formulated the Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) on the same line of RSBY to benefit ten lakhs poor families and also the APL. RSBY and CHIS is being implemented in all the 14 districts in the State. The Scheme was started on 2/10/2008. A separate agency, namely Comprehensive Health Insurance Agency, Kerala (CHIAK) was formulated for implementation of RSBY and CHIS.

(8) Aam Admi Bhima Yojana (AABY)
Aam Admi Bhima Yogana is a centrally sponsored Scheme formulate with the participation of State and Central Governments for ensuring social security of rural landless households in the country. The Scheme came into force in Kerala on 29/10/2008. The Scheme is being implemented through the LIC of India. In Kerala the Scheme extends to the BPL families having land not exceeding 5 cents and having no members in the family with permanent employment in organized sector. The Scheme provides Insurance Benefits besides scholarship to two school children studying between IX to XII standard from a family.
The following are the benefits extended by the Scheme.
(a) Benefit offered upon natural death of a member-30,000/-
(b) On the death due to accident-75,000/-
(c) Permanent total disability due to accident-75,000/-
(d) Loss of two eyes or limbs due to accident-75,000/-
(e) Loss of one eye or one limb due to accident-37,000/-
Scholarship100/- per month will be given to maximum two children studying between 9th and 12th standard from a family.

Welfare Boards

Welfare Fund Boards were formed by the Government of Kerala for the effective implementation of various welfare schemes. Numerous reforms and welfare schemes that are instituted for the employees are successfully implemented by these welfare funds boards. The list of Welfare Fund Boards are given below:-