Rao climbs down, turns indefinite strike into a one-day affair as a face-saver.
With the authorities permitting an autorickshaw fare hike, all-round pressure seems to have forced veteran union leader Sharad Rao to relent and withdraw the indefinite strike, but as a face-saving gesture, call for a token one-day stir across the state on Monday.
Rao, president of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Maharashtra State Auto Rickshaw Owners and Drivers Association, made the announcement in a hurriedly convened press conference on Sunday.
“The token one-day strike is a mark of solidarity with rickshaw drivers across the state, who, unlike CNG drivers in Mumbai, have not had their fares hiked. They drive petrol-run vehicles, and continue to suffer due to the increasingly higher costs of living. In any case, the interim hike of Re1 is extremely low. Also, we are unhappy with the appointment of PMA Hakim as a one-man committee. The fight for our demands will continue,” said Sharad Rao.
Earlier, the union leader had insisted that the indefinite state-wide strike would not be withdrawn, since the government’s sanctioned measures, such as the fare hike and the one-man committee, were not enough. “In the past six years, Mumbai’s rickshaw drivers have only received Rs2 as a fare hike. Anybody in his right mind would not consider that enough,” Rao had said.
However, in a major act of retracting his position, Rao said the union would engage with the one-man committee, and the strike would only last a day.
Expectedly, this has not gone down well with the other unions and consumer activists, who called it an unnecessary inconvenience to the drivers as well as commuters.
AV Shenoy, member of the Mumbai Vikas Samiti, said, “Now that an interim hike of Re1 has been permitted, they should act responsibly and not strike even if for a day.”
General secretary of the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union Thampy Kurien said, “Considering the fact that CM Prithviraj Chavan has himself been receptive to our demands, and permitted the setting up of a committee and a fare hike, we as unions should act more responsibly and desist from such avoidable strikes. What will happen if the CM also stops listening to us? Whose door will we knock on to get our demands heard, the Governor’s?”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}