With busy streets in the city wearing a deserted look and shops remaining shut, the nationwide general strike called by various trade unions disrupted normal life in Kollam.
Nearly all business outlets from malls to small factory units did not open on Monday while buses, taxis, and autos kept off the road. Though random vehicular movement was seen in the early hours, by noon, it reduced to two-wheeler riders and emergency services.
Food delivery services were hit, as the restaurants and other food outlets were not functioning. Majority of the offices did not function with very few staff members turning up for work.
While traditional sectors including cashew and coir came to a standstill, labourers from the unorganised sector too joined the strike. Daily operations were hit in fisheries and plantation sectors with the employees from Oil Palm India Ltd and Rehabilitation Plantations Ltd participating in the protests organised by the joint front of trade unions.
According to trade union leaders, around 15 lakh persons from Kollam participated in the strike. Hundreds of workers, led by the joint front, took out a march from the front of LIC office in the morning.
The protest meeting at Chinnakada was inaugurated by UTUC national president A.A. Aziz while CITU district secretary S. Jayamohan presided over the function. T.C. Vijayan, Joint Trade Union convener, N. Padmalochanan, S. Sudevan, J. Shaji (CITU), B. Shankar (AITUC), Kurippuzha Mohanan (UTUC), S. Nasser (INTUC), S. Radhakrishnan (AIUTUC), C.J. Suresh Sharma (TUCI), Ajit Kumar (TUCC), and Kurippuzha Shanavas (KTUC), also spoke on the occasion.
