Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
The first day of the two-day nationwide general strike called by trade unions was complete in Kerala, with shops and commercial establishments remaining shut.
There were reports of protesters stopping private vehicles at several places in the state.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Monday slammed government officials for participating in strikes. The division bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar ruled that it was illegal for government officials to participate in strikes, citing Employees Service Rules.
In the wake of the strike, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has suspended its bus services for the next two days. Some employees who reached FACT in Kochi and KINFRA in Palakkad were sent back home. There were protests in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode too.
In Kochi, a vehicle belonging to a private company was stopped at Ambalamukal while they were picking labourers for work as usual. The strike was called by the trade unions against the union government’s anti-labour policies.
The demands by the trade unions include removal of the labour codes, no privatisation of any form, scrapping of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), increased allocation of wages under MNREGA and regularisation of contract workers.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan called out the CPM-led Kerala government for their pro-strike stance. On his social media page, the minister mocked the government saying- Under Pinarayi Vijayan’s rule, Kerala tops EODS – Ease of Doing Strikes Not – Ease of Doing Business, Shame!
The minister claimed that Kerala government has once again proved its anti-development stance.
“At a time when industries are slowly resuming their functioning. Government patronage to such strikes hampers the state’s progress,” he said.
