The order was passed by Justice J B Koshy while disposing off a petition by the APPFEA, represented by its secretary Dil Koshy and two others, seeking police protection to carry out loading/unloading work by using their permanent labour.

Petitioners submitted that they exported fresh fruits and vegetables and other perishables, mainly to Gulf countries, from the new airport. Recently, while they brought their perishables for export to the airport, members of the INTUC, BMS and CITU unions objected to the loading and unloading operations and they were not able to carry out the work with the help of their workers. They submitted that the obstruction was illegal.

However, the respondent unions submitted that loading and unloading work inthe area was to be done by them and that permanent workers can work in their establishment but not in the airport area.

(A settlement on the dispute was reached at a meeting called by the Ernakulam district collector and the airport management recently.

The judge held that only because of the agreement, peace was prevailing in the area and the cargo handling work had re-started. Under pretext of granting police protection, the court said it was unable to interfere with the agreement.

The court directed the police to ensure that the loading/unloading work was being done as per the settlement, which states that the work of unloading the perishable cargo will be distributed among the Cochin Airport Porterage Workers Union and the Cochin Port Labour Union, those who were displaced when the airport came up and the exporters' workers in the ratio of 3:5:2.

For unloading general cargo, the work would be distributed between the two unions and the displaced persons in the ratio of 3:7.