The long-drawn tussle between INTUC workers and shop owners of the EU-assisted Agricultural Urban Wholesale Market at Maradu over unloading spiralled into a fist-fight on Friday morning, injuring several persons.
Workers alleged traders of provoking the fight in which, they claimed, nine of them were injured. But traders alleged workers of injuring 25 of them, with three seriously hurt in hospital, and inflicting losses worth lakhs.
The arrival of a load of fruits to the market and the claim by workers under pool 10 of INTUC in Nettoor to unload it sparked off the row.
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“Despite prevailing dispute over transfer of goods from one vehicle to another within the market compound, traders did it again. We were abused and manhandled when we staked claim to unload goods that were not meant for sale within the market,” alleged P. Jabbar, vice president, INTUC, Nettoor.
Workers also took out a protest march to the office of the market secretary for the alleged failure to implement an order issued in December by the Collector giving workers of the local pool the right to unload goods brought from outside the State.
Maradu Market Traders Association alleged that workers were now questioning more than a decade-old right of traders under the byelaw to unload their goods. “There’s no justification for the mayhem caused by workers. Shops were ransacked, shutters were downed, fruits worth lakhs were destroyed and cash was taken from counters,” alleged S.M. Muhayudheen, president of the association, who demanded police protection to the market.
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The association took out organised a protest march to the Panangad police station and the office of the market authority.