Truck Strike
As part of the nationwide truck strike call given by the All India Motor Trade Congress, 18,000 lorries in Coimbatore district will go off the road from Tuesday midnight. According to K.S. Kaliyaperumal, secretary and K.R. Arumugam, vice-president of the Coimbatore Lorry Owners Association, the strike is part of the nationwide strike call against the price of diesel. The association representatives said that truck operators were being forced to buy premium diesel that was costing Rs. 2.40 more than the ordinary diesel and such a higher fuel cost was proving to be uneconomical for the industry. The truck operators also objected to the State Governments insisting on fixing of speed governors. They said that fixing of speed governors proved to be a failure in buses. The toll collection on bridges and highways was also proving to be a financial burden for the truck operators.
The Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA) has urged the Central Government to avert the proposed indefinite strike by lorry owners. In a communication to Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, President of TEA A. Sakthivel said that the decision had caused panic among exporters. “The major concern is that if the garments are not shipped in time, there will be cancellation of orders and this issue has come at a time when the exporters are struggling to cope with the increased prices of inputs, including transaction cost.” Considering the sustainability of the trade in global market, he requested Mr. Chidambaram to intervene immediately and settle the issue amicably to save the export industry.
