Transport workers in the State will go on strike on Friday to press for rollback of the petrol price rise and dissuade the oil marketing companies from increasing the diesel price.
The strike is likely to cripple the transport sector in the State with workers of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and those employed in the private transport sector joining it. The strike has been called by the Joint Action Council of Motor Transport Workers and various unions in the transport sector. Essential services have been exempted from the dawn-to-dusk strike which will not, however, spare two-wheelers.
In separate statements here on Monday, the CITU-led All India Road Transport Workers' Federation and the CITU-affiliated KSRTC Employees' Association, the single largest union in the KSRTC, called upon all sections of transport workers to join the strike.
In his statement, Federation national general secretary K.K. Divakaran pointed out that with last week's increase, the price of petrol had gone up by 30 per cent over 11 months. It would land the lorry-bus industry in a deep crisis, he said.
In their statement, KSRTCEA president Vaikom Viswan and general secretary T.K. Rajan said there were indications that the Centre would soon give the clear signal for increasing the price of diesel and LPG. This would cause serious crisis in both the public and private transport sectors, they said.
