Southern States - Kerala

Headload workers run amok

By Our Staff Reporter

KOLLAM MAY 21. Headload workers at the commercial hub of Chinnakada and Chamakada areas in the city who are on an indefinite strike since the past one week today ran amok attacking several shops and unleashing a reign of terror.

While the owner, Sunderesha Pai, of a rice trading unit was brutally beaten up, several shop employees also sustained injuries in the series of attacks. Six persons, including Mr. Pai, have been hospitalised. Three INTUC workers have been arrested by the police in connection with the attacks.

On the Main Road this morning a handful of headload workers unleashed terror by bursting soda water bottles on the road and throwing stones at the glass panes of the shops. A simultaneous attack was also unleashed at the Thamarakulam area. Several pedestrians were also hit by the flying soda glass chips.

Traders immediately downed shutters in panic and business was hit for a couple of hours all along the Main Road and adjacent wholesale market areas at Chamakada and Paikada Road. It was only after an assurance on protection given by the police that the shops reopened.

The headload workers are on strike demanding the withdrawal of an attempted murder case filed by the police against their colleagues from pool number 10 on the Main Road. The case was filed by the police in connection with an attack on a rice trader, his employee and his shop on the Main Road on May 15. The employee who was critically injured in that attack was admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.

The headload workers resorted to that attack since the shop owner had recruited a headload worker from outside the pool in question.

Headload workers of the pool, supported by their union leaders, insist that the loading and unloading work at the shop be given to them as a matter of right. The owner had however obtained an order from the High Court that he has the freedom to recruit a person of his choice.

The development resulted in the traders observing a hartal the next day and the headload workers resorting to the indefinite strike soon afterwards. The strike has badly hit trading activities especially at a time when the traders were expecting good business on account of the school reopening season.

Meanwhile, the district unit of the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi has registered its strong protest against today's developments.

In a statement the samithi general secretary, G. Gopakumar, said that following the May 15 developments, a section of the headload workers were trying to hold the commercial areas of the city to ransom. He also condemned the inaction on the part of the police in countering the threats from the headload workers against the trading community.

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