The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Kerala, has requested the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led government in the state to allow industries to function normally on Thursday (November 26) when trade unions have called for a nation-wide strike.
The CII said that the strike call has come at a time when businesses are struggling to cope with their urgent needs and looking at ways and means to get back to normal. The strike would only set back their efforts to come to terms with the pandemic and be able to stand on their feet.
It needs to be appreciated that the Covid-19 pandemic will be a long drawn battle and may last for a year, if not more. Its effect has already severely impacted industrial and economic activities in the state, leading to loss of huge number of man days. The State government may have relaxed restrictions in many ways, but the impact of the lockdown on the economy is likely to be long-term, the CII said.
Strikes are becoming more and more common and this affects not only the local economy but also businesses and employees. While on the one hand, businesses suffer production and financial losses, on the other, consumer confidence gets adversely affected, the CII noted.