Munnar stir a new chapter in state’s trade union history, says VS Achuthanandan
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Instead of blaming plantation workers of Munnar, the trade unions should self critically examine their functioning, Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan said here on Wednesday.
He was speaking at a seminar on Munnar agitation. Achuthanandan said the Munnar stir was a new chapter in the history of agitations in the state.
“Workers carried out their agitation for ten days without any support from organised trade unions. What we witnessed in Munnar was the uprising of women workers. They were forced to jump into the agitation in the absence of any help from any quarter,” he said.
The opposition leader said the trade unions should ask a question themselves to why the women plunged into the agitation without their help. They should find an answer to this question on their own, he said.
Achuthanandan said trade unions should stand by the workers. The workers should have the confidence on the trade unions and get a sense they would stand for their cause.
CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said the discussions on Munnar agitation were getting confined to the role of trade unions only. Not only the trade unions, even the government and managements should do some introspection about the issue, he added.