Normalcy affected in port operations in Tamil Nadu, workers stage protests

THOOTHUKUDI: Workers staged protests in parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday as part of the nationwide general strike against the central government's alleged anti-labour and anti-farmer policies.

Port operations in Thoothukudi and Chennai bore the brunt of the agitation with major trade unions, including the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), leading the demonstrations.

Addressing a gathering of protesters in Tuticorin, CITU District Secretary Russell claimed that the strike has seen a massive response with over 30 crore farmers and workers participating across the country.

All central trade unions and farmers' organisations of the country have called for a nationwide general strike on Thursday, and it is going on in full swing in most of the central government departments, Russell said.

The CITU leader claimed that a major part of the operations at the V O Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi has been affected, while approximately 40 per cent of workers at the Chennai port joined the stir.

Cargo movement at Bharathi Dock was completely paralysed, 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 on Thursday.

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 the state capital, a large-scale protest was organised at Valluvar Kottam, where members of various trade unions and the Labor 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.