7 hrs ago
Kerala Commission Orders Shipping Firm To Pay Job-Seeking Mother
A mother paid money so her son could get a seaman job.
She said she sold her gold ornaments to raise part of the payment.
Her son received a job document and travelled to Bhubaneswar.
But the promised job did not happen, and the company allegedly stopped answering calls.
The company said that someone else had used its name and made fake papers.
The consumer commission found that the document appeared to be an official company document.
It ordered the company to pay the mother and her son Rs 1.80 lakh.
The commission also warned that demands for quick payments and disappearing employers can be signs of job fraud.
A Kerala consumer commission ordered a shipping company to pay Rs 1.80 lakh to a woman and her son.
The woman said she sold gold ornaments and paid Rs 1.50 lakh for her son’s promised seaman job.
Her son travelled to Bhubaneswar in December 2023 but allegedly received no job or response from the company.
The company denied receiving the money and said someone had misused its name and forged documents.
The commission found the employment document carried the company’s seal and signature and awarded compensation and litigation costs.
- Who
- A woman and her 19-year-old son brought the complaint against a shipping company.
- What
- The Kasaragod District Consumer Commission ordered the company to pay Rs 1.80 lakh after a promised seaman job was allegedly not provided.
- Where
- The complaint was heard in Kerala, and the son travelled to Bhubaneswar for the promised job.
- When
- The son travelled on December 26, 2023; the commission’s order was dated August 20.
- Why
- The commission found deficiency in service and unfair trade practice after money was paid and an employment document was issued, but the job was not provided.
Consumer Commission’s Findings
Shipping Company’s Defense
Validity of employment documents
Consumer Commission’s Findings
The commission found that the assignment letter carried the shipping company’s seal and signature and included wage and allowance details.
Shipping Company’s Defense
The company said an unknown person had misused its name and created forged documents without genuine signatures or authorization.
Receipt of payment
Consumer Commission’s Findings
The woman said she paid Rs 1.50 lakh in two installments for her son’s job.
Shipping Company’s Defense
The company denied receiving the money and said there had been no transaction or contract with the complainants.
Responsibility for the failed job
Consumer Commission’s Findings
The commission held that the promised employment was not provided and that the family suffered financial loss and mental distress.
Shipping Company’s Defense
The company said it had filed a police complaint and issued a caution notice denying involvement.
Key facts
- Total award
- Rs 1.80 lakh
- Amount paid
- Rs 1.50 lakh
- Compensation
- Rs 25,000 for deficiency in service and unfair trade practice
- Litigation costs
- Rs 5,000
- Promised position
- Ordinary seaman
- Promised pay
- The assignment document cited basic wages of 850 US dollars per hour
- Payment deadline
- The company was directed to pay within 30 days
Quotes
Kasaragod District Consumer Commission
Kerala consumer commission members deciding the employment-fraud complaint
“The complainant (son) has approached the opposite party (shipping company) with great expectations for getting employment, but his dream of getting a job is crushed by the cheating of the employers by not providing the proposed job; thereby, the complainant has not only suffered deficiency in service, mental tension, agony and financial loss”
indianexpress.com
“Such acts attract cheating (fraudulent inducement). This is pressure to pay immediately. No proper office or verifiable address and information,”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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