KOZHIKODE: The 16-day strike called by CITU at the Perambra rubber estate of the Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) has been called off following talks held at PCK headquarters in Kottayam on Tuesday. As per the agreement, the reinstatement of the four suspended labourers has been reshuffled. Of the four labourers, one will be reinstated at the B division, two at A4 division and one labourer at another wing of the A division. Earlier, the labourers, who were B division employees were reinstated in C division after the suspension was revoked.
“The strike has ended. The transportation of rubber milk started from Tuesday,” said PCK officials. 35,000 litres of rubber milk were getting rotten in the estate office causing a loss of lakhs of rupees to the corporation. Perambra Area Estate Union (CITU) secretary K. Sunil claimed that their demands had been met. “The suspension had been revoked. The temporary labourers would be regularized within three months,” he told DC. The management also made it clear that the suspension was already revoked and the labourers were reinstated.
The labourers were suspended for their laxity in nightwatchman duties which led to jumbos destroying six trees in the rubber estate. They were suspended on October 21 and reinstated on November 1. The reinstatement into different divisions irked the CITU which called the strike. However, all other unions, including AITUC were against the strike. PCK Chairman J. Udayabhanu, Managing Director N. Ravikumar, CITU joint secretary K.T Satheesh and representatives of other labour unions took part in the meeting.
