Trichy: The usual cacophony was missing at Gandhi market on Monday as labourers refused to lift vegetable and fruit produces in protest against the denial of job to many of their mates at the recently opened Palpannai onion market though they have been working for the onion traders for decades.Expressing solidarity with the workers who were left out, labourers at Gandhi market, known to be central Tamil Nadu’s most happening market, started observing a stir since Sunday evening. Meanwhile, with the district administration assuring job security for the onion market labourers through talks with the onion traders, the stir was temporarily abandoned by Gandhi market labourers.Claiming that the private onion market in Palpannai has been employing newcomers for minimal wages instead of providing employment to 277 labourers working for onion traders for three decades, the agitated workforce had been staging protests for a week. Subsequently, since Sunday evening, about 2,000 labourers in Gandhi market including those in banana shops, English vegetable shops and fruit shops refused to work seeking justice for their fellowworkers. As the protest was making an impact on sales and supply of vegetables in the city and central districts on Monday, a peace talk was convened by Gandhi market police involving representatives of traders and labourers. “Police personnel on behalf of the district administration assured that employment of onion labourers would be assured. Since police officials vouched for the livelihood of onion market labourers, we decided to withdraw the stir temporarily,” G K Ramar, deputy secretary of CITU, said.After the peace talk, as many as 2,000 labourers affiliated to four trade unions including LPF and CITU resumed work in the evening. However, the private onion traders refused to comment about the assurance rendered by city police. Earlier in the day, hostility brewed between vegetable traders and labourers as the desperate traders roped in private workers for unloading vegetable sacks which was objected to by the protesting traders. However, the city police intervened to pacify both groups.

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