Kitex violated labour laws, says inspection report

KOCHI: Adding fuel to fire, Kerala’s labour department has come out with an inspection report on Kitex Garments factory at Kizhakkambalam alleging serious violations of labour law.

The report has listed out serious shortcomings on the part of the company including lack of drinking water and adequate toilet facilities for the employees. According to the report, employees were being forced to work on holidays without additional payment.

The other offences include non-payment of minimum wages, slapping of unwarranted fines on the employees and non-submission of annual report. The report also states that the company has not been paying wages on time.

A salary register was not maintained at the factory, the report says. The labour department inspectors found that the company has not kept a register of the details of contracts signed with the employees. The company has not arranged adequate medical facilities for labourers from other states.

In his response to the report, Kitex Group chairman and managing director Sabu M Jacob said that the report was prepared without examining any documents.

“Government’s approach is an insult to industrialists. We can challenge each allegation”, Jacob told media persons on Tuesday.

Following inspections by various agencies at the Kitex factory, Sabu Jacob had announced that his firm would withdraw from the Rs3, 500 crore investment plans agreed by him during the Ascend 2020 organised last year to atract investments to the state.

The entrepreneur turned politician atacked the Let Democratic Front (LDF) government for ‘driving him out of Kerala’ by unnecessarily harassing him.

On Friday he announced his intentions to invest Rs1, 000 crore in an apparel manufacturing unit in the Kakatiya Mega Textiles Park (KMTP) at Warangal in Telangana. A team led by Sabu Jacob visited Telangana at the invitation of Telangana Industry Minister KT Rama Rao.

On his return Jacob alleged that he was ‘kicked out’ of Kerala. He also said that his company would not invest in Kerala in future.