Chennai, February 12 Workers staged protests in various parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday as part of the nationwide general strike against the central government's alleged anti-labor and anti-farmer policies.
Operations at the ports of Thoothukudi and Chennai were severely affected by the protests, with major trade unions, including the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), leading the demonstrations.
Members of the CITU and affiliated associations staged 'rail blockades' across Tamil Nadu, including at the railway stations in Tiruchirappalli and Madurai, as well as in Wimco Nagar and Ambattur in Chennai, as part of the strike.
"In Chennai alone, the members staged protests at five different locations, while in Coimbatore, it was conducted at eight places," a CITU source told PTI.
The members of the trade unions who attempted to stage a rail blockade were detained by the police, and they were later released, an official said.
Addressing a gathering of protesters in Thoothukudi, CITU District Secretary Russell claimed that the strike saw a massive response, with over 30 million farmers and workers participating across the country.
The CITU leader claimed that a major part of the operations at the V O Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi was affected, while approximately 40 per cent of workers at the Chennai port joined the strike.
Cargo movement at the Bharathi Dock was completely paralyzed, and operations at the Kolkata port, including those serving private power stations, were severely hampered, he added.
The impact was also felt in the energy sector, with Russell stating that the nearby NLC Tamilnadu Power Limited (NTPL) thermal power station witnessed a 100 per cent strike.
Reiterating the demands of the joint platform of trade unions, the CITU leader demanded the immediate withdrawal of the four labour law codes and a halt to what he termed anti-farmer activities.
"Selling the country's assets and natural resources to corporate companies will create a situation that could turn India into a slave country. Therefore, the government must drop the 17 lakh crore project called the PPP Pipeline, which sells the country's assets to private entities," Russell said.
In Chennai, a large-scale protest was organized at Valluvar Kottam, where members of various trade unions and the Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) gathered to raise slogans against the central government.
The demonstration led to a heavy police deployment in the Nungambakkam area, though no violence was reported.
The industrial hub of Sriperumbudur also witnessed significant activity as workers from several manufacturing units held gate meetings and demonstrations in solidarity with the strike.
While production in some major automobile and electronic facilities continued with reduced manpower, the movement of goods in the Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial belt faced delays due to the scarcity of transport vehicles.
