Threat to Invoke ESMA Against Striking Kerala Employees

Date: 
Monday, February 11, 2002

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on February 9 and 10, 2002. It has issued the following statement:

Against Antony Government's Threat to Invoke ESMA

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the Antony government's threat to use ESMA against the state government employees who have been on indefinite strike since February 6. Five lakh employees have struck work against the Congress-led government's decision to withdraw various facilities which the employees had acquired over a long period. There is total unity amongst all sections of the employees to meet this draconian attack.

The Antony government seeks to cut the remuneration of the employees to solve its financial crisis while leaving untouched other ways of raising resources.

The Polit Bureau strongly opposed Chief Minister Antony's call to the people to come forward to oppose the strike as a provocative move. Such wild tactics to pit one section of the people against another will not succeed in Kerala.

The Polit Bureau demanded of the UDF government that it immediately hold talks with the employees organisations to meet their just demand.