Thiruvananthapuram: Presidential assent has been accorded for a landmark legislation passed by the Kerala assembly, seeking to check multiplicity of trade unions in industries.
The Kerala Recognition of Trade Union Act, passed by the state assembly in March, was given the presidential assent after its close verification by various central departments concerned, state Labour Minister PK Gurudasan said on Thursday in a statement.
The bill was brought in by the LDF government with the aim of determining the unions with bargaining power by conducting election among industrial establishments and areas.
As per its central provision, the union securing the
largest number of votes, being more than 51 per cent votes, shall be considered the "sole bargaining agent" in the industrial establishment or the industrial area, as the case may be.
If there is only one applicant trade union for an
industrial establishment or industrial area, that union would become the sole bargaining agent.
However, unions obtaining 10 per cent votes in a class of industry or 15 per cent in an industrial establishment would have all the rights of a recognised trade union and could be party to settlements.
Unions obtaining 15 per cent or more votes would be eligible to form a joint bargaining council.
But if a consensus eluded among them, the sole bargaining agent would have the right to sign the settlement, binding under the relevant provision of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
The legislation was introduced by the government with the professed objective of making the collective bargaining power of workers smooth, employees-employer relations cordial and curbing the multiplicity of unions.
The Act would be applicable to all establishments with 50 or more workers in them.
PTI
