Dear Editor
Dear Editor
I read about the struggle of the workers of Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC). Later, I got the news that their 13-day struggle had concluded victoriously. The central government had conspired to sell off its shares of NLC towards privatising the company. The Tamilnadu government was prepared to suppress any opposition to this and therefore over 2000 police were stationed there. The workers who were on protest were maligned – their action was blamed for disruption of power supply and for the suffering of patients in hospitals. However, what is noteworthy is that despite this dirty propaganda, the citizens supported this just struggle. The more than 30,000 workers, of which more than 13,000 are temporary workers, are organised in several unions; but they were united in this action. This is the reason why the Madras High Court disallowed the protest; the workers rejected the strictures of the Court. Neither the government nor the court had the courage to carry out any punitive action against the workers, given their unity. Finally, the workers were victorious. This victory is truly inspiring for all of us workers. It has proved once again that if we workers are united and if we are able to mobilise the support of the ordinary citizen, then no force in the world can defeat us. I would like to convey my congratulations to all the workers of NLC through the pages of your newspaper.