People's Democracy

EVER since the call of all India strike was given by the central TU's in all the core sectors of the economy, serious preparations had been undertaken for making it a big success in Tamil Nadu. An all trade union convention was held as early as on March 7 in Chennai. A protest day was observed on March 11. Demonstrations, hall meetings, street corner meetings, badge-wearing programmes by the workers etc. marked the kind of preparations for the strike.

All these preparations had a telling reflection on April 16 in the success of the strike. Banks and Insurance offices wore a deserted look with total staff abstaining from work. The prestigious BHEL units at Trichirapalli and Ranipet reported near total strike participation. The strike was total in Madras Fertilizers Ltd., and Indian Oil Coporation. Port and Dockworkers had called for a strike and the strike was total in Tuticorin. Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Salem Steel, Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd., IDPL, Balmer and Lawrie, Hindustan Photo Films, Burn and Standards (Salem) and other such units did not function either on account of the workers' strike or the field functionaries stoppage of work. Majority of the officers had also abstained from work. BSNL employees took part enthusiastically in the strike.

There were solidarity actions galore in almost all district headquarters and major industrial towns of the state. The Tamilnadu government employees association, central government employees coordination committee and such other sections of workers who could not directly participate in the strike had conducted solidarity dharnas and gate demonstrations.

Leaders of all central TU's addressed a massively attended public demonstration in front of the Memorial Hall, Chennai.  The anti-privatisation campaign in the state has gathered enough momentum through the success of this strike. It had inspired a new confidence amongst the workers that the offensive against them coming in various forms can be fought back.