Govt for talks as plantation workers' strike enters second day
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Munnar: The indefinite strike launched by nearly three lakh plantation workers, employed in different estates in the State, demanding wage hike and 20 per cent bonus, entered its second day on Tuesday.
As per reports, 99 percent of the total three lakh plantation work-force in public and private sectors are on strike.
CPI-M state secretary and AITUC leader Kanam Rajendran had said that workers from all plantations including tea, rubber, coffee and cardamom were participating in the strike.
Meanwhile, the government has convened a meeting with Plantation Labour Committee (PLC) here on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had expressed hope that all issues in the plantation sector were expected to be resolved at the PLC meeting.
In a bid to seek the co-operation of all concerned, Chandy said, "Only if everyone is positive, we can find a solution to the problems".
AITUC, CITU, INTUC, BMS and several small trade unions are participating in the strike. However, a section of women workers at Kannan Devan Hills Plantation (KDHP) in Munnar is not participating in the stir called by United Trade Unions.
The PLC, which held a meeting here on last Saturday, had failed to arrive at a consensus regarding wage hike. Representatives of various trade unions participated in the meeting gave the strike call after the marathon talks failed to take a decision on hiking daily wages to Rs.500.
The plantation managements, who had stated that they would be unable to bear Rs.500 daily as wages, have sought more time for deliberating on the proposals put forth by the government on the wage hike.
