Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has joined the talks between representatives of the striking women estate workers of Munnar, estate management and trade unions to settle the bonus and wage hike dispute at the Kannan Devan Hill Plantation (KDHP) company.
The discussions between the management and the government broke off without any breakthrough late Sunday afternoon.
Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday joined the protest and declared that he would not leave the agitation venue till the workers’ demands were met.
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The nonagenarian leader declared solidarity with the workers and announced that he would sit with the women till their demands are met, bringing additional pressure on the Oommen Chandy government.
The KDHP management has taken the position that the company’s financials do not permit any hike in the 10 per cent bonus already granted. But the workers are insistent that they would move out of the town square only if the management agrees to 20 per cent bonus and a daily wage of Rs. 500.