Kerala - Kochi   

CITU strike partial, peaceful in city

- Photo: H. Vibhu

An off day: Autorickshaws kept off the road on Wednesday in support of the nation-wide strike called by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. A scene in Kochi city.

KOCHI: The nation-wide strike called by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) passed off peacefully in the city, with no untoward incident being reported.

The functioning of the city was partially hit though private vehicles were allowed to operate. The Collectorate recorded an attendance of nearly 50 per cent, which the District Collector said, was a surprise. The attendance was never above 20 per cent on strike and hartal days.

The Cochin Port Trust (CPT) had arranged transport for its employees and attendance was 70 per cent.

However, the general public stayed off the road. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) authorities said there was no need of operating additional bus services, as many of the services had to be stopped halfway for the want of passengers. Even though no holiday was declared for schools and colleges in the city, attendance was generally low.

Shops in the city remained closed during the day.

They started functioning only after the strike time was over. Private buses and autorickshaws also kept off the road.

The CITU held a rally to mark the day. A public meeting after the rally was inaugurated by K.M. Sudhakaran, State treasurer of CITU, at telephone exchange junction. Many prominent leaders, including State secretary K. Chandran Pillai addressed the gathering. In a press release issued here, Mr. Pillai said the UPA-led Government at the Centre should imbibe the message send out by the strike in which 37 crore workers participated.

The workers in unorganised sector were making a majority of contribution in total income, even though they were the last in terms of job security and individual income. They had been demanding for a uniform social law for all the workers.

The UPA Government had given clear promises on this to the trade unions and this was not met till date. The new law should ensure aspects like implementing basic work rules, strict implementation of legal minimum wages, equal job opportunities and delivery allowances for women, mandatory support to health cover and assistance during accidents and pension, he said.

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