THE Maharashtra Government will take strict action against the growing menace of fake Mathadi workers and is planning a digital overhaul of the registration process of the head-loaders, Labour Minister Akash Phundkar has said. The administration is developing a robust verification mechanism to identify and weed out fake workers, who are actually “extortionists in disguise”. This includes linking Mathadi worker registrations with Aadhaar, biometric attendance systems and employer verification, the minister told PTI.

 

The government will not tolerate fraudulent elements exploiting the system at the cost of genuine labourers and industry stakeholders, he said. Phundkar’s remarks come amid growing discontent among industry bodies over the alleged misuse of the Mathadi Act. The Maharashtra legislature last month passed the Maharashtra Mathadi, Hamal and Other Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Welfare) (Amendment) Bill, defining manual work as a “core activity” for the welfare of head-loaders and porters, removing ambiguity in the type of work which will remove bogus workers.

 

“Over the years, the number of fraudulent Mathadi workers -- those who are not actually engaged in manual labour but have obtained bogus registrations -- has increased significantly. These individuals have created an atmosphere of fear and extortion in several industrial regions of the state,” Phundkar said. “We are committed to protecting the genuine Mathadi workers, but will not allow fake ones to hijack the system,” he said. The Mathadi system, governed under the Maharashtra Hamal, Mathadi and other Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Welfare) Act, was created to protect manual workers engaged in loading and unloading activities.