The ‘Right to sit’ strike called by the Asanghatitha Meghala Thozhilali Union (AMTU) will be launched on Thursday when employees at textile shops in the State go on strike for their right to sit down during working hours.
It was on March 8, Women’s Day, that Penkoottu, an organisation for women labourers in S.M. Street in Kozhikode, under the joint aegis of the AMTU declared the strike and gave the textile shop managements time till May Day to meet the demands. Since the response had not been favourable, the organisation has decided to go ahead with the strike from Thursday.
The AMTU in a press release said labourers in textile shops were not allowed to sit down from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., while on duty.
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As per the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, the working time for sales persons is 8 hours. The employees should have hygienic working conditions as well. But these rules were clearly violated in many shops where the employees worked for 10 to 12 hours.