46. WORKERS CENTRE, CALICUT AND AGITATIONS

During 1970s, a co-ordination committee of workers’ unions, including unions in central – state governments, Public sector and autonomous bodies, was formed by name Workers Unity Centre, which name was changed to Workers Centre later. Along with Comrades P.P.Sanku, K.K.Syed Mohammed, K.C.Prabhakaran and A.Kunhiraman Nair, I was also one of the founders. After returning from Trivandrum in 1981, again became active in Workers Centre. In next conference, Com.Kunhiraman Nair was elected as Chairman with me as Convener. Later, Com.C.Ravindranath was elected as Chairman.

The aims and objectives of Workers Centre was to organise programmes and agitations on issues  of common interest, extend support and solidarity including financial assistance to struggles of affiliated organisations, conduct T.U. classes etc. These were done effectively. Convener of WC was mostly either  chairman or convener of Samara Sahaya Samithies.

The struggles were many: that of Medical College Students, workers of Mavoor Gwalior Rayons, CWRDM, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Food Corporation of India, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, Kerala State Electricity Board, Grameen Bank, Medical Representatives, MES College, Lakshadweep Administrative Office, Working Journalists, LIC, Government College Teachers, Private College Teachers, Gazetted Officers, Income Tax, State Government Employees, Corporation Employees, Hospital Workers, EPF employees, Teachers, P and T, Kerala Panchayath, Financial enterprises, Bank, Nurses, Student Nurses, Sales Tax, State Bank, Financial enterprises, CPWD, Mavoor High school, YWCA, All India Radio, Railways, National Sample Survey, Hydro Generation Factory, Guruvayoorappan College Non-Teaching Staff, AG’s Office, Leprosy Hospital, Darshak Employees, Canara bank, MCC Bank, Homeo students etc. etc. In all these struggles, the intervention of Workers Centre was effective. Only those which came to mind are noted. There will be many others. It is to be noted that Workers Centre was party in some of the discussions and settlement.

Workers centre had no difficulty to organise demonstrations of hundred or more within no time in the city as number of organisations and workers involved were many. Further it was a period of agitations.

The Annual Conference of Workers Centre of 1986 was held in Calicut Town Hall on 22-24 January with many connected programmes. More than 500 delegates from various organisations. S/Shri M.P.Veerendra Kumar (Later M.P. and Central Minister),  Kadannappally Ramachandran (M.P. and later Kerala Minister), V.V.Dakshinamoorthy (Editor Deshabhimani), N.Chandrasekhara Kurup M.L.A., M.M.Lawrence, CITU leader, T.Devi (AIDWA), Adv. P.Sathee Devi, O.Bharathan M.L.A.,M.Vasu (CITU), V.B.Athreya, R.N.Manazhi (AKPCTA), P.Balakrishnan II (NFPTE), P.Sadasivan Pillai (BEFI) and other leaders addressed. Com.C.Ravindranath and I were re-elected as Chairman and Convener.

A large number of comrades from various unions actively took part in the activities of Workers centre and made it an important organisation of Calicut. I am giving below the names of those comrades, which  comes to my memory. Comrades P.P.Sanku ( Kerala Soaps), A.Kunhiraman Nair, K.C.Prabhakaran, K.Narayanan, C.H.Asokan, M.T.Karthikeyan, Sreesan Nadukkandy, Vasudattan (N.G.O.Union), P.P.Bhaskara Kurup, P.M.V.Panickar, P.Chandrasekharan (KMCSU), T.Dasan, T.Balan Nair, P.P.Kuttikrishnan (KSRTCEA), P.Krishnan, K.Asokan, Asokan, Kuttisankaran (KSEBWA), A.K.Ramesh, K.T.Babu (BEFI), C.Achuthan, C.Ravindranath, P.Bhaskaran, Sukumaran Punnassery, K.K.C.Pillai (LICEU), V.V.P.Nambiar, Moothoran Master (KGPTA), V.Vasudevan (KPEA), A.V.Viswanathan, P.V.Nambissan, K.Damodaran, V.A.Ouseph, Soman Gangadharan, Babukkuttan, N.Ramesh, M.Balasubramanian, N.V.Raghavan, M.P.Kunhanandan (NFPTE), T.K.Chandran, E.Kunhiraman Nair, V.A.Narayanan, K.Madhavan, N.P.Madhusudanan (KITA), P.P.Gopalakrishnan, Dr. N.M.Mohammed Ali, Haridasan nambiar (KGOA), V.V.Raja (KMSRA), K.K.Syed Mohammed(Financial Enterprises), Prof. Narayanan kutty, Prof. Chandra Mohan, Prof. P.T.Abdul Latif (AKPCTA), Unneeri, Sukumaran (DREU), V.Chathunni (HWU), Ravindran, Rajagopal, Raghu (SBI), Kunhabdulla, Jose (AG’s Office NGO Association), Kuttiraman (Lower Grade Union), Sivaraman (REC Non-Teaching Staff Assn), Nambikutty, Mammu, Vasudevan (FCI) Ahmed Koya, N.N.Kakkad, P.Radhakrishnan (AIR), T.A.Varghese (Coffee Board), M.Narayanan (Calicut University Employees Union), Malappuram Moosa( Harijan Welfare Hostel Empl. Association), M.N.V.G.Adiyodi ( Kerala Govt. Pharmacist Assn), K.Bhaskaran, Harshan, Mohammed Koya (Laccadives Employees), Uthaman (Central Warehousing) C.N.Subhadra (KGNA), Reena Lucca, Mary Thomas, Soniya George (KGSNA) and many others. I may kindly be excused if I had forgotten to some other important leaders.

CITU leaders Coms. M.Vasu, T.P.Ramakrishnan (now Kerala Minister), Elamaram Karim M.P., T.P.Rajan, Ayyapputty and many others gave all guidance, support and help in running  Workers Centre. In many Samara Sahaya Samithies, INTUC leaders S/Shri Sadiri Koya, Adv. M.Rajan and others participated and supported.

Recently an effort was made to hold a meeting of the comrades who were active in Workers Centre and publish a souvenir with articles on  various struggles taken place during that time. Due to Covid situation it could not move further. Hope to re-start the effort.

When I shifted to Delhi after being elected as General Secretary of E.III Union, Com.K.Damodaran was elected as Convener of Workers Centre.