Even as the Kerala government imposed a dies-non order on employees, state government offices witnessed low attendance on Tuesday as the general strikes continued. Trade union workers forcefully closed many offices and shops in many parts of the state.
The High Court directed the state on Monday to issue a dies-non to make government employees turn up for work.
CPM leaders even flayed the Kerala High Court directive against government employees joining the stir and the inconvenience caused to the people by the 48-hours strike caused resentment.
CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan equated preventing employees from joining the stir to denying of rights during the Emergency. CPM senior leader M V Jayarajan and Centre of Indian Trade Unions leader Anathalavattom Anandan also slammed the HC directive.
The state secretariat, which had less than 50 of the 5,000-odd employees in office on Monday, witnessed only a marginal increase in attendance on Tuesday. Only less than 200 employees turned up for work on Tuesday, said sources.
Trade union workers caused a disturbance at many government offices across Kerala after employees turned up for work. Even as a section of traders announced that they would open shops, a majority of the shops remained shut on Tuesday. Several traders and a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus driver were allegedly manhandled by unionists.
Check out DH's latest videos