NGO Union strike to continue at Kozhikode Collectorate as talks fail

Row over transfer of 15 village officers in Revenue Department

The indefinite strike by the Kerala NGO Union at the Kozhikode Collectorate is leading to a showdown between the Centre of Indian Trade Unions-affiliated organisation of non-gazetted government staff and District Collector N. Tej Lohit Reddy.

A discussion held on Monday to iron out the differences between the two over the transfer of 15 village officers in the Revenue Department failed to yield results. An initial round of talks were first held in the morning and another round in the afternoon. However, both failed to make any headway as Mr. Reddy was not willing to concede to their demand to cancel the transfer.

Functionaries of the union later announced that the strike would continue. “The District Collector should keep in mind that the union had been able to bring many eminent people, who had threatened us in the past, to agree to our reasonable demands. That is the history of Kozhikode. It is better if the incumbent collector checks these facts or consult people who have seen it in the past. Keep in mind that the Left Democratic Front government is in power in Kerala,” N. Rajachandran, State secretariat member, Kerala NGO Union, said while addressing the protesters.

In a release, union Kozhikode district secretary said that nine of the 15 village officers who were transferred had not completed the mandatory three-year-period in the same office. This was against the government rules and guidelines on transfer of employees. Normally, application is called for, a draft list is prepared and then consultations are held before the transfer, they pointed out.

Meanwhile, functioning of the collectorate has been hit since February 11 when the union launched its agitation against the transfer order issued the day before. People are inconvenienced because official work has come to a grinding halt.

V.P. Dulqifil, Kozhikode district panchayat member from Payyoli division, told the media that the district planning committee could not hold its meeting because of the strike and many projects were left in the lurch. As the deadline for the utilisation of Plan fund is nearing, this could lead to problems. Mr. Dulqifil said that the government had incurred huge financial losses because of the strike. Steps should be taken to recover the loss from the salary of the striking employees, he added.

The strike has also snowballed into a tussle between the union and the All-India Trade Union Congress-affiliated Joint Council of State Service Organisations with the latter supporting the transfer. The Revenue Department is under the Communist Party of India. Joint council activists had staged a demonstration in support of the Additional District Magistrate last week after he was allegedly manhandled by the union leaders during the protest.