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<div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1998August%2Fturnaround-1_082412093406.gif" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>Industrial strikes are a rare sight today<p>The task was quite simple: all that they had to do was to cover each tyre with a polythene sheet to keep the dust out while the tread was being fixed.</p><p>But the workers at the Apollo Tyres unit in Kerala's Thrissur district refused to do it saying it was not part of the work agreement. Later they showed signs of relenting, but on one condition: the management should give an allowance or gift a scooter each to its about 1,800 workers. The stunned management refused. </p><p>What followed was violence culminating in a lockout in April that continued till July. The issue was finally resolved late last month, but by then, everybody was a loser: each worker lost about Rs 15,000 as wages, the company suffered Rs 125 crore loss of production and the state Government about Rs 75 crore as duties and taxes.<br><br>Even two years ago, trade union militancy would have merited no more than brief mentions in local newspapers. But the Apollo Tyres issue created ripples in the Government, the state legislature, industrial circles and the media. The reason: lockouts, once a part of everyday life in the state, are now a rarity.<br><br>According to the latest annual report of the Union Ministry of Labour, the fall in the number of strikes in Kerala has been dramatic from 37 in 1992 to 25 in 1997 and lockouts from 20 to six. The state planning board reports that mandays lost due to strikes and lockouts came down from 26.23 lakh in 1993-94 to 4.75 lakh in 1996-97. </p><p>"This shows that people have come to understand that low industrialisation would permanently keep the state underdeveloped and them jobless," says P. V. Gangadharan, president, Malabar Chamber of Commerce.<br><br>Much of the change is attributed to awareness among the political and trade union leadership. "Parties like the CPI(M) are now telling its cadres about the need for industrial peace," says N. Sreekumar, vice-president, Apollo Tyres. </p><p>True, industrial investment has grown from Rs 1,192 crore in 1983 to Rs 5,900 crore this year but it still lags behind other states. "Elsewhere the investment growth has been far bigger during the past five years. <br><br>But Kerala appears to have missed the post-1991 economic reforms-induced wave of high investment growth. Not a single multinational has made the state as a destination," says T. Ravindran, regional chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).<br><br>However, the reason for the fall in the number of strikes and lockouts has been the institutionalisation of conciliation and collective bargaining mechanisms. "Governments, especially of the Left, have seen to it that industrial disputes are settled amicably before they lead to flash points," says E. Balanandan, president, CITU.</p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div></p><p> Thomas Issac, a member of the CPI(M) thinktank and an economist with the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), says, "The trade union movement has come to acquire a maturity now. Even the Left has realised that you need more industries."<br><br>For decades, despite the state's highly skilled workforce, industrialists shunned Kerala. Militancy in trade unions was rampant. Former chief minister and CPI State Secretary P.K. Vasudevan Nair admits, "In the past, we had organised a number of unnecessary strikes forcing many industries to migrate." <br></p><p>Significantly, the CPI's annual state conference last week noted in its political resolution, among other things, the need to curb strikes and lockouts. Says former chief minister A.K. Antony: "Too frequent strikes have blunted the weapon. Today we can't agitate even for just causes because we know it will not yield results."<br><br>Issac feels much has to be done to improve work culture and productivity. Industry leaders agree this issue calls for immediate attention. "We tried to improve productivity at our unit because the tyres here had a higher rejection rate compared to those produced at our units outside Kerala," says Sreekumar. </p><p>"But the workers were adamant, which led to the lockout." The state Labour Minister V. P. Ramakrishna Pillai says the setting up of industrial relations committees, which solve disputes before they get out of hand, has helped in reducing the number of strikes.<br><br>The Onam festival in September always used to be preceded by a spate of strikes and lockouts over bonus all over the state. But for the past few years, the festival period has not seen these problems. </p><p>What is unquestionable is the attitudinal changes among political parties. For instance, the state Government has agreed to the CII's demand to withdraw a 20 per cent entry tax for computer peripherals brought to the state. <br><br>A suggestion by the Planters' Association of Kerala to scale down agriculture income tax rates too has been approved by the Government. </p><p>More illustrative of the change is the state Government's recently-announced power policy which, for the first time, says the State Electricity Board (SEB) would be divided into many units (opposed by unions for long as it would weaken them) in order to make it profitable.</p><p> "It's not too dramatic. But coming from a Left government, the policy is unbelievably progressive as it stops just short of privatising the SEB," says Ravindran. While the changes are welcome, politicians and businessmen hope the new industrial climate will attract investment in the state which is desperately trying to live down its image of the "sick man of the south". </p><p>There are encouraging signs already. Last month, the Federation of Industries of Italy decided to set up a Rs 200-crore Indo-Italian Business Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. If the tempo is maintained, the peace will not be that of an industrial graveyard.<br></p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Aug 31, 1998</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

states

States

<div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1998August%2Fturnaround-1_082412093406.gif" loading="lazy" /></div>Industrial strikes are a rare sight today<p>The task was quite simple: all that they had to do was to cover each tyre with a polythene sheet to keep the dust out while the tread was being fixed.</p><p>But the workers at the Apollo Tyres unit in Kerala's Thrissur district refused to do it saying it was not part of the work agreement. Later they showed signs of relenting, but on one condition: the management should give an allowance or gift a scooter each to its about 1,800 workers. The stunned management refused. </p><p>What followed was violence culminating in a lockout in April that continued till July. The issue was finally resolved late last month, but by then, everybody was a loser: each worker lost about Rs 15,000 as wages, the company suffered Rs 125 crore loss of production and the state Government about Rs 75 crore as duties and taxes.<br><br>Even two years ago, trade union militancy would have merited no more than brief mentions in local newspapers. But the Apollo Tyres issue created ripples in the Government, the state legislature, industrial circles and the media. The reason: lockouts, once a part of everyday life in the state, are now a rarity.<br><br>According to the latest annual report of the Union Ministry of Labour, the fall in the number of strikes in Kerala has been dramatic from 37 in 1992 to 25 in 1997 and lockouts from 20 to six. The state planning board reports that mandays lost due to strikes and lockouts came down from 26.23 lakh in 1993-94 to 4.75 lakh in 1996-97. </p><p>"This shows that people have come to understand that low industrialisation would permanently keep the state underdeveloped and them jobless," says P. V. Gangadharan, president, Malabar Chamber of Commerce.<br><br>Much of the change is attributed to awareness among the political and trade union leadership. "Parties like the CPI(M) are now telling its cadres about the need for industrial peace," says N. Sreekumar, vice-president, Apollo Tyres. </p><p>True, industrial investment has grown from Rs 1,192 crore in 1983 to Rs 5,900 crore this year but it still lags behind other states. "Elsewhere the investment growth has been far bigger during the past five years. <br><br>But Kerala appears to have missed the post-1991 economic reforms-induced wave of high investment growth. Not a single multinational has made the state as a destination," says T. Ravindran, regional chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).<br><br>However, the reason for the fall in the number of strikes and lockouts has been the institutionalisation of conciliation and collective bargaining mechanisms. "Governments, especially of the Left, have seen to it that industrial disputes are settled amicably before they lead to flash points," says E. Balanandan, president, CITU.</p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style></p><p> Thomas Issac, a member of the CPI(M) thinktank and an economist with the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), says, "The trade union movement has come to acquire a maturity now. Even the Left has realised that you need more industries."<br><br>For decades, despite the state's highly skilled workforce, industrialists shunned Kerala. Militancy in trade unions was rampant. Former chief minister and CPI State Secretary P.K. Vasudevan Nair admits, "In the past, we had organised a number of unnecessary strikes forcing many industries to migrate." <br></p><p>Significantly, the CPI's annual state conference last week noted in its political resolution, among other things, the need to curb strikes and lockouts. Says former chief minister A.K. Antony: "Too frequent strikes have blunted the weapon. Today we can't agitate even for just causes because we know it will not yield results."<br><br>Issac feels much has to be done to improve work culture and productivity. Industry leaders agree this issue calls for immediate attention. "We tried to improve productivity at our unit because the tyres here had a higher rejection rate compared to those produced at our units outside Kerala," says Sreekumar. </p><p>"But the workers were adamant, which led to the lockout." The state Labour Minister V. P. Ramakrishna Pillai says the setting up of industrial relations committees, which solve disputes before they get out of hand, has helped in reducing the number of strikes.<br><br>The Onam festival in September always used to be preceded by a spate of strikes and lockouts over bonus all over the state. But for the past few years, the festival period has not seen these problems. </p><p>What is unquestionable is the attitudinal changes among political parties. For instance, the state Government has agreed to the CII's demand to withdraw a 20 per cent entry tax for computer peripherals brought to the state. <br><br>A suggestion by the Planters' Association of Kerala to scale down agriculture income tax rates too has been approved by the Government. </p><p>More illustrative of the change is the state Government's recently-announced power policy which, for the first time, says the State Electricity Board (SEB) would be divided into many units (opposed by unions for long as it would weaken them) in order to make it profitable.</p><p> "It's not too dramatic. But coming from a Left government, the policy is unbelievably progressive as it stops just short of privatising the SEB," says Ravindran. While the changes are welcome, politicians and businessmen hope the new industrial climate will attract investment in the state which is desperately trying to live down its image of the "sick man of the south". </p><p>There are encouraging signs already. Last month, the Federation of Industries of Italy decided to set up a Rs 200-crore Indo-Italian Business Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. If the tempo is maintained, the peace will not be that of an industrial graveyard.<br></p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Aug 31, 1998</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

Positive attitudes of political parties and trade unions work towards reviving the 'sick man of the south'.

India Today

The turnaround - India Today

Political parties, trade unions work together to revive 'the sick man of the south'

The turnaround

The Centre has sharply accelerated the deactivation of Aadhaar numbers linked to deceased persons, striking off over 2.5 crore IDs—more than the previous 14 years combined. 

Aadhaar

After India Today expose, over 2.5 crore dead Aadhaar holders removed from system

By working closely through diplomatic engagement, trade and cultural cooperation, Musawa believes that both nations can play a leading role in shaping a future where developing countries have a louder voice on the world stage.

World Governments Summit

India–Nigeria ties key to shaping a stronger global south

A video of a street dog running with a police vehicle on Marine Drive, Mumbai, has highlighted the unique bond between the animal and the police officers patrolling the area.

mumbai street dog

This stray dog regularly tags along with Mumbai Police at Marine Drive

A city council meeting in Frisco, Texas, turned into a verbal clash between right-wing critics and Indian-origin citizens. While the right-wing participants alleged that Indians were committing visa fraud by acquiring H-1B visas and displacing American citizens, the Indian attendees argued they were being generalised as a community and their presence was a net benefit for the American city. 

The council meeting in the city of Frisco saw right-wing critics and Indian citizens clash over allegations of H-1B fraud and Indian population surge.  

Indian takeover of US city: Right-wing turns Frisco council meet into H-1B showdown

Britain has given Air India a week's deadline to submit a complete response, or face regulatory action against it and its fleet of 33 Boeing 787s.

Air India flight

Air India probes crew compliance after Boeing 787 fuel control switch issue

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In this address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlines India's trajectory towards becoming a developed nation, emphasizing that the country has reached a decisive stage in its journey. He highlights that 'The world is moving very fast towards a new world order,' with India positioned as a reliable 'Vishwa Mitra' or global friend. The Prime Minister notes that while many developed nations are aging, India’s strength lies in its youthful population and significant talent pool. He contrasts the current economic stability—characterized by high growth and low inflation—with the previous 'Fragile Five' status, noting India's progress toward becoming the world's third-largest economy. Modi also mentions recent 'future-ready' trade deals, including significant negotiations with the European Union, and asserts India's role as a leading voice for the Global South on the international stage.

World moving towards a new world order: PM Modi in Rajya Sabha

Opposition leaders staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to the Motion of Thanks to President address on Thursday.

Walkout

Opposition leaders stage walkout during PM Modi’s address in Rajya Sabha

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House as Opposition MPs had surrounded his chair on Wednesday.

Speaker Om Birla reveals why PM Modi did not address Lok Sabha

Here's the drone visuals of the massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which has hit vehicular movement for over 24 hours after a gas tanker overturned in the hilly Khandala Ghat section.

drone

Watch: Drone visuals of massive 22-km traffic jam on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Addressing the Lok Sabha, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the government has successfully safeguarded sensitive sectors in US trade deal.  

Piyush Goyal: No Compromise On Farmers Interests In US Deal

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Political parties, trade unions work together to revive 'the sick man of the south'

Positive attitudes of political parties and trade unions work towards reviving the 'sick man of the south'.

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