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Strike as a weapon

Sir, — I refer to The right to strike (Aug. 22). The Supreme Court should not have tarred all strikes with the same brush. Some may be politically motivated but there are also genuine ones. Strikes are the employees' weapon in the fight for their rights. For example, in the 1980s, the Andhra Pradesh Government decided to decrease the retirement age of its employees from 58 to 55 years. When the employees went on strike, the Government reviewed the decision.

Y.V.K. Ravi Kumar,
Hyderabad

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Sir, — The trade unions have no right to condemn the Supreme Court ruling. Let them hold a nationwide convention and ask for legislation to make strikes legal. It should be remembered that the trade unions are responsible for the closure of hundreds of private and public sector units in the country, rendering lakhs of employees jobless.

Abdul Hameed,
Guwahati

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Sir, — Instead of criticising the Supreme Court verdict, someone could have gone on appeal in the Supreme Court itself for a review by a Constitution Bench. If there is no favourable ruling, a law can be enacted by Parliament.

G. Abdul Haseeb,
Gudiyattam, T.N.

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