Strike near total in Kochi

KOCHI: The nation-wide strike called by 10 central trade unions on Thursday was near total in the city with almost all shops remaining closed. Public transport system, except Metro, did not conduct services while most of the autorickshaws and cabs kept off the road. Most of the city roads wore a deserted look. No untoward incidents were reported in the city, according to the police.

Meanwhile, the authorities of Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) said that their operations were not affected. The president of CSEZ Industries Association K K Pillai said they had obtained a favourable order against the strike.

“Hence exports activities were smooth on Thursday. Most of the firms, especially IT firms inside the zone, had already given work from home option to its employees in the wake of Covid-19. Hence, only 60 per cent of the staff strength is now coming to the offices, out of which almost 50 per cent came to work on Thursday,” he said.

There are a total of nearly 150 firms in CSEZ. Among them 120 units are active and nearly 60 units worked on Thursday. “There was a slight delay in transportation activities as vehicular movement was restricted due to the strike,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kochi Metro officers said that passenger traffic was low. “The services were conducted as usual. However, the passenger traffic was low,” they said. At Infopark, most of the firms allowed staff to work from home and hence the strike barely evoked impact.