Communists masquerade as the messiahs of the labours, workers of the downtrodden and depressed. But the Communist government in Kerala seems to have realised that existing Trade unions in the state risk exposing their true face.
Communist Vijayan is in a tussle with Trade Unions
In Kerala under a communist government, it has been reported that the Vijayan government has locked horns with Trade unions. Since the day Pinarayi Vijayan retained power in the state, he has been trying to take control of the trade unions.
Recently, there have been faceoffs between trade unions and the management of two state-run enterprises.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) Officers’ association of the Board has been protesting since the beginning of April, after one of the executive engineers Jasmin Banu was suspended. The association body that is believed to be pro-CPI(M) then saw the suspension of its state president MG Suresh Kumar and general secretary B Harikumar, as they led the agitation from the front. The battle is still continuing between senior engineers and KSEB chairperson Dr B Ashok.
The second protest in the state is in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), and the KSRT Employees Association affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The issue for protest by workers here is the non-payment of salaries. To add to the problem, the Vijayan government launched K-Swift Transport firm, with the aim of handing a chunk of long-distance bus operations to the new company.
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Workers are making the Left giants recall Communism
It is a well-known fact that from the day Pinarayi Vijayan gained power, the government has been trying to rein in trade unions to make ‘communist Kerala’, an investor-friendly state and make the state smooth for governance.
The constant tussle between the state-run enterprises and the workers and workers union is the same, the intervention of the government, more apt to say the state’s attempt to change the age-old model.
Though the Vijayan government is clearly failing in establishing its control over the trade unions. And the constant tussle between the management of state-run enterprises and workers association advocates for that.
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Not only the Vijayan government, but other left-leaning outfits too have maintained silence on the issue. Contrary to the communist stand, the LDF leaning CPI(M) and CITU have decided to not jump on the issue and raise their voice. Rather they have adopted a wait-and-watch policy.
But the associations are not letting the situation slip from their hands and they are constantly reminding the left outfits, of their flawed ideology. KSRTEA recently reminded Vijayan’s Transport Minister Antony Raju that the association had toiled for his success during the assembly elections.