It appears that hunger may remain the reference frame for the competitive agitations of both the trade unions and the collective of women plantation workers, airing the same demands in Munnar.
Penkal Otrumai, the women workers’ collective, resumed their interrupted indefinite hunger strike on Saturday, while the trade unions continued with their own. Five women leaders of the women’s collective - Gomathy Augustine, Lissy Sunny, Sreemathy, Rajeswari and Kausalya - began their indefinite fast on Saturday.
Pressure on collective
There was palpable pressure on the collective to go in for the hunger strike as the rival protestors of the joint action council of trade unions had fielded six women in their camp for it.
The Penkal Otrumai had called off its hunger strike by 6 p.m. on Friday since a decision could not be had regarding making it a 24-hour-long hunger strike.
PLC meeting
A meeting of the Plantation Labour Committee (PLC), which has representatives of trade unions and planters, scheduled for Monday would now discuss the Rs.500 a day salary demand of the workers of both camps.
The women’s combine received some unexpected support during the day with K.P. Rajendran, general secretary of the AITUC, accompanied by E.S. Bijimol, Peerumade MLA, called upon them. The two leaders addressed them before moving to the venue of the trade union agitation, being jointly organised by the AITUC, INTUC, and CITU.
Ms. Bijimol lauded the campaign of the women’s collective, which according to her, had brought the attention of the State to the burning issues of plantation workers. It was the 10-day agitation launched by the women that had secured a better bonus and other benefits to workers. The trade unions had only later joined the agitation kicked off by the women, she added.
Incidentally, Ms. Bijimol was instrumental in taking the women leaders to the negotiation table with the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Labour Minister Shibu Baby John, and trade union leaders.
However, the CPI leaders K. Prakash Babu, Sathyan Mokeri, and P. Prasad chose to remain with the trade union leadership.
Senior trade union leaders A.K. Mony, S. Rajendran, MLA, C.A. Kurian, P. Palanivel, and K.V. Sasi led the trade unionists.
Women leaders from the BJP’s trade union, BMS, pledged their support for Penkal Otrumai. S. Ashamol, State secretary of the BMS, K. Sindhumol, State vice president, and district president N. Raveendran visited the women and joined their protest.
