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George Iype in Kochi
As the indefinite strike by the government employees, school and college teachers in Kerala entered a month on Tuesday, the agitation in protest against the stringent cost-cutting measures implemented by Chief Minister A K Antony is fast turning out to be a make-or-break test for him.
Kerala remained paralysed on Tuesday as offices were shut, schools closed and public transport stopped under the impact of a 24-hour long general strike called by various trade unions in support of the agitating state government employees.
Nearly 550,000 government employees and school and college teachers across Kerala have been on strike since February 6 protesting against the harsh cost-cutting measures imposed by the United Democratic Front government led by Antony.
Many believe it is a make-or-break test for Antony in the coming days. If the employees' strike succeeds and Antony is forced to roll back the cost-cutting measures, it is certain that political pressure from within the party will compel the chief minister to quit.
But if Antony wins over the agitating employees, the chief minister is sure to emerge as the champion of the masses and it will be the beginning of new era of economic reforms for the cash-trapped Kerala.
Antony reasons that he has been forced to trim the employees' salaries as the state is languishing in a huge debt of Rs 252.41 billion and the exchequer does not have any money to meet the government expenditure.
Therefore, last month, Antony became the first chief minister in the country to take a severe set of cost cutting measures targeted at the state government employees. Urging the government employees to make the sacrifices to bear the debt burden of the state, Antony cut the expenditure by taking away the leave encashment and pension benefits of state government employees and teachers.
Antony's reform moves forced the 550,000 employees to go for an indefinite strike since February 6. While offices and schools have been closed for a month now, neither the Antony government nor the employees unions have met for any negotiations.
In support of the agitating employees, trade unions belong to the Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party imposed on Tuesday a 24-hour strike in the state disrupting normal life. Police officials said that while the strike has been complete, no serious incidents of violence have been reported so far.
Throughout the day, buses, taxis and autorickshaws were off the roads and shops and restaurants remained closed. In a show of solidarity with the agitating government staff, employees belonging to the central government, banks, water authority, civil supplies corporation and motor transport workers also joined the strike.
In view of the strike, the Antony government declared a holiday for educational institutions and offices on Tuesday. However, CBSE and ICSE examinations, newspapers, milk supply, hospitals and drinking water supply services were excluded from the strike.
Even though the staff strike has crippled the official machinery in the last one month, Antony remains adamant that he is not ready to negotiate with the striking employees unless they call off the strike.
"The government can not meet the employees' demands because of the precarious financial condition of the state. I again appeal to the employees to understand reason, make sacrifices and get back to work for Kerala's progress," Antony said.
With trade unions openly supporting the striking employees, political leaders in the state caution that the stir will most probably spread to the essential services like government hospitals, water supply and electricity. Already, various unions of doctors and medical services personnel have called for a day's strike notice on March 7 in support of the agitating employees.
Antony's staunch critic within the Congress party and former chief minister K Karunakaran has been urging him to hold talks with the employees and end the agitation.
"But it is sad that Chief Minister Antony has not cared to discuss this kind of a serious matter even among the Congress leaders and the party's legislative forum," Karunakaran told rediff.com.
"There is no government functioning in Kerala. The Congress image is getting worse day after day because of the employees' strike," the Congress leader added.
So far mediatory efforts by Congress leaders and the coalition partners of the United Democratic Front government to end the strike have failed as Antony has insisted that he is not ready to sit with the employees' leaders for talks before they end the stir.
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