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wave sweeps India

India has seen a wave of strikes this month:

Toyota workers strike over wages in Bangalore
Lorry drivers strike over welfare fund, Kerala
Taxi and Autorickshaw fare strike, Kerala
Junior Doctors strike over violence and police brutality, Uttar Pradesh

Near Bangalore, 1550 workers at the Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd. went on strike on January 6th over the dismissal of three workers. The company then locked them out and brought in scab labour. The three workers were fired for union activity, although management claims it was 'for disciplinary reasons'. Government mediation has collapsed. The lockout has continued. Toyota owns an 89% stake in the factory, which makes the Innova and Corolla models and has a capacity for upto 60,000 cars per year.

From January 27th, lorry drivers in Kerala will go on indefinite strike over the government's failer to implement agreements on remittances to employees' welfare funds.

Across Kerala, Taxi and Autorickshaw workers went on and indefinite strike on Wednesday. A joint action by workers from the CITU, INTUC, AITUC and BMS unions has been solid across the state.

Today (20th January) striking junior doctors in Uttar Pradesh resumed work after four days of striking. The strike, branded 'illegal' by the state government, began on Monday following a clash between junior doctors from King George's Medical University and police recruits on a train. Medical colleges at Lucknow, Agra, Allahabad, Kanpur, Meerut, Jhansi and Gorakhpur were affected. This followed events last week when the death of a student on the KGMU campus sparked rioting.

K.K. Singh, an assistant professor at KGMU was arrested over last week's incidents, and the striking doctors were threatened with criminal charges if they continued their strike. The KGMU administration has suspended teaching and ordered students to vacate their hostels by Friaday evening, in order to rid the campus of "undesirable elements".

"We have to identify the black sheep and clean up hostels where some undesirable element are suspected to have crept in," KGMU Vice Chancellor Mahendra Bhandari said.

"The hostel allotments will be made afresh and punitive action taken against mischief mongers who are spoiling the academic environment in this prestigious institution," Bhandari said.

"Everyone sees the trouble people are going through. What about our doctors who are brutally beaten up by the police?" said Debashish Shukla, President, Junior Doctors Association.

UPDATE
Offer to Toyota wildcat strikers:

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