Kochi: The Ernakulam district private bus operators’ association has decided to hand over around 15 buses to the police to run on the strike days on January 8 and 9. This is as per the directions from the district collector.
The Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU), including INTUC, CITU, AITUC and STU, is organising the two-day strike against the anti-labour policies of the central government.
Mr K.B. Suneer, district general secretary, Private Bus Operators’ Association (PBOA), said that they had asked the JCTU leaders to limit the strike to a single day for them. “However, we will join the strike as it is against the central government’s anti-labour policies,” he said.
The association had earlier confirmed that no employee will work on those days. “Bus owners will arrange drivers or owners themselves will drive the buses as employees cannot be asked to work on that day,” he said.
A total of 10 buses had run on the hartal day on Thursday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. as per the instructions from police. “But the protestors had broken the glass of one of the buses even after police provided security and they were not even arrested,” he said.
The buses will run mainly on Aluva, railway station and airport routes.
