Shops and commercial establishments in the State will be graded by the Labour Department using a seven-point yardstick and those that emerge on top will be made model institutions.
Announcing this in the Assembly in reply to a question on Thursday, Minister for Labour and Excise T.P. Ramakrishnan said the grading would initially be for textile shops, hospitals, the construction sector, hotels, restaurants, star hotels, jewelleries, IT institutions, and those offering security services. The grading will be based on the employer, job satisfaction of employees, work atmosphere, contribution of the firm towards the upgrade of skill of those on the rolls, women-friendly nature, facilities given to the employees, and security of the workplace.
With the grading and declaration of model institutions, the Minister said the government was hopeful of ensuring just wages in all sectors and creating a better work atmosphere in the State.
In reply to another question, the Labour Minister said the Labour Department had carried out 46,374 inspections in the State during 2017 to ensure that the employees were getting minimum wages and the prescribed facilities were in place.
