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Survey reveals August 22 truckers' strike will be a flop

The proposed nationwide strike by truckers beginning August 22 does not have the potential to last long and the participation level may not cross even 50 per cent even if diehard opinion among the strikers prevails, according to a survey conducted by the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training.

The survey report was submitted to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Surface Transport Minister P Thambidurai today.

The transporters had given a call for an indefinite strike to press for their demands including hike in third party motor insurance premium, imposition of toll on roads, abolition of octroi checkposts in four remaining octroi-levying states and certain amendments in Motor Vehicles Act and uniformity in national permit for passenger and goods commercial vehicles.

Nearly 1,000 transporters in 28 trucking centres all over the country were contacted for the survey. It says the proposed agitation had put transporters in a ''catch 22 situation'' as participation was not forthcoming like in previous strikes in 1988, 1992, 1993 and 1997.

Therefore, the industry and trade associations had not displayed any undue panic. The survey, which concluded yesterday, says the chances of reaching an amicable settlement between the government and transporters within the next two or three days are very strong and informal efforts are already in progress. The new leadership of transporters, according to the survey, seemed to have ''pre-supposed'' the strength of recessionary conditions in the trucking industry.

According to the survey, 60 per cent of the transporters contacted were not fully aware of the strike call and 70 per cent of the transporters did not whole-heartedly favour the strike at this juncture.

About 90 per cent of them were not even aware of the charter of demands and/or what could be their expectations from the government if any strike threat is to materialise in the near future.

Also, 60 per cent of the truckers blame bigger transporters/companies for the present mess in the commercial road transport system.

At least 80 per cent of the transporters held slow economic activity and consequent reduced availability of cargo responsible for the current frustration among them rather than blaming the government for the prevailing crisis.

Nearly 75 per cent of the transporters blamed their leadership for intra-trade conflicts and conclusions and wanted them to be resolved through self-regulatory mechanism needed to be evolved by the transporters associations themselves.

The survey said 60 per cent truckers were ''helplessly'' continuing in this business and did not have additional resources and/or other avenues to shift to alternative trades. On the other hand, the transport companies were fairly satisfied with the ongoing arrangements.

About 75 per cent of the transporters wanted their leadership to shift the schedule of their proposed agitation and wanted them to publicise their charter of demands among the unions.

The survey says the prominent section of transporters, particularly from Delhi, Bombay, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh favoured a face-saving formula to avert the strike.

The survey also said that freight rates had shown an upward trend by five per cent during the past few weeks on some selected routes as against a 15 to 20 per cent decline in the previous one-and-a-half years.

UNI