Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 05 February 2025
In response to the All India Protest Day called by central trade unions and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) jointly organized demonstrations across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands today. The protests were held to express concerns over the implementation of new labour codes and various policies affecting workers and farmers.
In South Andaman, the main demonstration took place at Sri Vijaya Puram, in front of the Port Blair Municipal Council at Aberdeen Bazaar. The protest was inaugurated by R. Surendran Pillai, President of CITU’s A&N State Committee. Addressing the gathering, he criticized the introduction of four new labour codes, stating that they could impact workers’ rights and favour large corporations.
B. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary of the CITU State Committee, spoke about alleged violations of labour laws in the private sector and certain government departments in the islands. He called for the protection of workers’ rights and the strict enforcement of labour regulations.
Other speakers included S.P. Kalairajan, Secretary of CITU, along with P. Sathyapal and Anand Rajan, Secretaries of the CITU State Committee, and K. Lakshman, General Secretary of the Nagarpalika Shramik Sangh. A significant number of workers from various trade unions in urban and rural areas of South Andaman participated in the event.
In North and Middle Andaman, similar protests were held at multiple locations. At Mayabunder, the CITU Mayabunder Zonal Committee organized a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, led by Zonal Committee President R. Muralidharan Pillai and Secretary C. Murugan.
Another protest was held at Billiground Bazaar, where CITU and AIKS jointly organized a demonstration. AIKS Vice President Nikunjo Biswas and Secretary S.R. Mridha addressed the gathering, expressing concerns about the impact of government policies on farmers. P.K. Khalid, Secretary of the CITU State Committee, was also present.
The demonstrations aimed to draw attention to the perceived challenges arising from recent policy changes and their possible impact on the working class and farming community.