THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Police intervened at long last on Friday to save a 57-year-old woman entrepreneur’s brick business from being pulled down by unionised headload workers. The group had harassed her to pay higher than stipulated wages and stopped others from working at the kiln, disregarding even a Kerala HC order restraining them from disrupting operations.
The change came about on a day TOI reported how this six-year-old business started by Pushpakumari and her husband Thankappan, a retired employee of the state transport corporation, had been forced to submit to the old scourge of unionism in the Left-governed state.
Forced to shut their kiln for two days following threats and unreasonable wage demands from headload workers owing allegiance to the CPM-affiliated CITU and Congress’ trade union wing INTUC, the couple was contemplating winding up their business. “Per the high court order, we will ensure protection to them if there is any law-and-order issue. We will not allow anybody to disrupt their business,” said SI Harsha Kumar.
Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was among those who criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF govt for failing to protect entrepreneurship.
Pushpakumari said she and her husband would reopen their kiln now that police had come out to protect them. The entrepreneur said she had approached the high court after losing faith in police. “All this while, the cops had refused to intervene.”
