The Hindu : Strike affects life in Kerala

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Strike affects life in Kerala

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 24. The 24-hour countrywide general strike called by Left trade unions to protect the working class' right to strike, crippled life in Kerala today.

The strike turned out to be a bandh as shops and markets remained closed and vehicles mostly stayed off the road. With the Government declaring a holiday for its offices and all educational institutions as a mark of respect to the late Governor, Sikander Bakht, who died last night, the entire State went into a kind of slumber for the whole day. Except for people who reached the Secretariat for a last glimpse of the late Governor and those who took out demonstrations as part of the strike, there was not much movement on the roads in the capital city. Two-wheelers and a few autorickshaws did ply, but not on the usual scale. Few shops were open and none of the markets did any business as workers affiliated to almost all trade unions stayed away from their jobs.

Although the INTUC and the BMS had dissociated themselves from the strike, workers owing allegiance to them also appeared to have joined the strike. Reports from different parts of the State also indicated the same trend. With even private buses staying off the road, banks and commercial establishments could not transact much business. Isolated instances of stone-throwing were reported from Kozhikode city and the police registered two cases for forcible bid by strike supporters for closure of shops in the district. The CITU State general secretary, P.K. Gurudasan, termed the strike an `unprecedented success'. The BSNL Employees' Union Kerala circle secretary, R. N. Pata Nayar, said a majority of the 20,000 telecom employees, including members of unions affiliated to the INTUC and the BMS, had stayed away from work and taken out marches in the districts.

The Chief Post Master General (Kerala Circle), K.N.K. Karthiayani, said in a release that 9.96 per cent staff of the Department of Posts in Kerala attended duty. She also claimed that skeletal services were maintained in most post offices.

The All-India Bank Officers' Association, All-Kerala Bank Employees' Federation (AKBEF), All-India Insurance Employees' Association (AIIEA), Joint Council of State Service Organisations, All-India State Government Employees' Coordination Committee, among others, described the strike a huge success and greeted their cadres for it. The AKBEF activists held a solidarity meeting before the Reserve Bank of India office here and the AIIEA workers held a meeting before the LIC divisional office in Kozhikode.

Although the Government had announced stern measures like invoking of dies non norms to tackle the strike, these did not become necessary following the declaration of holiday.

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