ALAPPUZHA: The indefinite strike by workers and small-scale producers in the coir sector is likely to be intensified in the coming days with the joint agitation committee of coir workers and small-scale producers deciding to spread the strike to the coir yarn spinning sector from May 10.

The leader of the joint agitation committee, T. J. Anjelose, said thousands of workers engaged in coir yarn spinning in Karthikappally, Ambalappuzha, Cherthala taluks in Alappuzha district and Vaikom taluk in Kottayam district would start an indefinite strike from May 10 if the efforts to end the ongoing strike in the coir sector failed. He said the decision was taken at a meeting of the committee held at Alappuzha on Thursday.

Separate meetings

The labour commissioner and the Chief Minister have called separate meetings of exporters of coir products, workers in the coir sector and small-scale manufacturers of coir products on May 9 at Thiruvananthapuram to end the present strike.

Mr. Anjelose said the joint committee would organise fasts at seven more centres in Alappuzha from May 7 as a part of the strike.

The joint committee had also decided to organise a march to the mechanised coir mat manufacturing units at Kakkanad special economic zone on May 13, he said.

Speaking to The Hindu , K. C. Eapen, secretary of the Coir Shippers' Council, which is the organisation of exporters, said many of the demands raised by the joint agitation committee did not come under the definition of industrial dispute.

According to him, all the big exporters are paying the Government fixed wages to workers at their factories.

He said it was the small-scale manufacturers who failed to pay minimum wages to their workers. He observed that the complaint of the small-scale manufacturers that they were not getting fair price for their products was a commercial issue which was not an excuse for not providing minimum wages to workers.

Mr. Eapen said the existence of depot agents who act as middlemen between small-scale manufacturers of coir products and exporters was because of the failure of the individual small-scale manufacturer to provide coir products in bulk to exporters on short notice.

The depot agents buy coir products from small and tiny manufacturers of coir products and stock it in bulk and resell it to exporters.

The trade union leaders meanwhile, pointed out that the big coir factories appoint only a few workers at their factories and give orders to middlemen who in turn pass the orders to small-scale manufacturers. They pointed out that the exporters often refuse to buy products directly from small-scale manufacturer on some or other pretext.

They pointed out that existence of middlemen was being encouraged by exporters to lower the price of coir products.

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