14th April 2014

Sivakasians to go on one day strike

Protesting an order of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that “unilaterally revised” various fees for the industry, Sivakasi Fireworks units has been down shuttered and to go on an indefinite strike from 5th April 2014, Saturday. The industry suspects that the move was an attempt to allow mass import of cheap Chinese fireworks to India and destroy the domestic industry. To protest the steep hike in the fireworks licence fee for manufacturing explosives and to stop importing cheap Chinese fireworks to India, 14 associations (Printers Association, Matches Manufacturers Association, Sivakasi Traders Association, Sivakasi Grocery Shop Assocation, Navathaniya Varthagargal, Vegetable Traders Association, Paper Merchants Association, Transporters Association, Sivakasi Crackers Traders Association, Sivakasi Fireworks Agents, Accounts Associations, Sivakasi Polybag Manufacturers Association and Thiruthangal Traders Association) in Sivakasi to go on one day strike on 15th April 2014. TANFAMA to stage hunger strike from 09:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m., at TANFAMA Kalyaana Mandapam, Sivakasi.