The Kerala School Cooking Workers’ Union will stage a hunger strike in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on April 4 and 5 in protest against the State government’s negative stance towards the school cooks.
In 2016, the Oommen Chandy government had recognised the school cooks as ‘employees’ by issuing an order that defined their wages and workload. However, the subsequent Pinarayi Vijayan government annulled this notification and reclassified them as daily wage labourers. The workers are now demanding that the 2016 notification be reinstated, ensuring minimum wages and benefits for them, according to G. Shanavas, State committeesecretary of the union.
‘Without opposition’
The school cooks, who work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. without rest, have been removed from the ‘employee’ category and placed in the voluntary worker group, receiving only an honorarium instead of wages. The State government accepted the Central government’s recommendation to offer them only an honorarium without any opposition, the workers alleged.
As of now, the workers have only received their salaries up until December 2024. The workers’ union is urging for a model similar to Tamil Nadu, where school cooks are recognised as part-time, contingent employees and provided fair wages and benefits.
The hunger strike will be addressed by trade union leaders, including former MP Thampan Thomas, C.P. John, HMS state general secretary Tomy Mathew, and Therambil Sreedharan.
Several demands
Despite the workers’ protests, including marches to the district collectorates and the Chief Minister’s official residence, the government has continued its indifferent approach, the workers alleged. They have raised several key demands including the payment of two months’ salary arrears, increasing daily wages to ₹1,000, implementing the decision of one worker per 250 students, covering the cost of health check-ups every six months, adopting Tamil Nadu’s schemes for Kerala, and providing financial assistance to the families of those who died in work-related accidents.
Published – March 23, 2025 10:21 pm IST
