Right to work is fundamental right: Kerala Rights Commission

Thiruvananthapuram: The September 2 all-India strike by trade unions must not come in the way of those who want to work that day, the head of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission said on Wednesday.

J.B. Koshy, a former Chief Justice of the Bihar High Court, said the Kerala government should ensure that the fundamental right to work of any citizen was not taken away by such strikes.

"While the right to strike is legally right, the right to work is a fundamental right and none should stop that," Koshy told the media here.

"The responsibility of the state government is to see that they make necessary arrangements for people who wish to work to be able to reach their work place," he said.

Koshy's five-year term as Chairperson of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission ends next week.

He said shutdowns cause innumerable miseries to the common man and the courts have done their duties to prevent them but now the governments need to act.

"In West Bengal, recently Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a strong stand against a bandh. It worked. It's only in West Bengal and Kerala that nothing happens during a shutdown," added Koshy.

He said he was leaving the Commission with a lot of happiness as he had been able to provide succour to numerous people, especially the weakest in the society.

"When I took over in 2011, the total number of cases that were handled was just 5,000. In 2015 it had touched 13,000, and this calendar year till now we have handled 8,800 cases," added Koshy.