KOCHI: The School Cook Workers Union (AITUC) has alleged that field-level officials are sabotaging government directives regarding the timely payment of monthly wages to midday meal cooks across Kerala. In a press statement issued today, the union revealed that although the official order for September 2026 wages was issued on September 30, and the necessary funds were transferred to Deputy Directors of Education by October 5, bureaucratic delays have left workers in several sub-districts without pay.
The union emphasized that despite clear state guidelines mandating wage disbursements by the fifth of every month, negligence by a section of officers continues to cause severe financial hardship to school cooks.
Concurrently, P.G. Mohanan, State General Secretary of the School Cook Workers Union (AITUC), welcomed an official communication from the Office of the Director of General Education confirming that the state government is actively considering minimum wages, retirement benefits, and pension schemes for school cook workers. He called upon the government to intervene urgently to establish an enforcement mechanism to ensure that all announced benefits and monthly salaries reach the workers without administrative bottlenecks.
