Motor transport workers will go on a dawn-to-dusk strike on Wednesday in protest against the increase in the prices of petroleum products.

The Joint Action Committee of the Trade Unions of Motor Transport Workers, which met in Kochi on Monday, called the strike.

The strike, which will begin at 6 a.m., is in response to an appeal given by the All India Road Transport Workers Federation to organise nation-wide protests against the increase in prices.

The motor workers affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the Indian National Trade Union Congress, the All Indian Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the Hind Mazdoor Sangh, the United Trade Union Congress, the All India United Trade Union Congress and the Swatantra Thozhilali Union will participate in the strike, the committee said.

Vehicles transporting milk, ambulance and newspapers have been exempted from the strike. Dharnas and marches will be organised in the State as part of the strike.

C. Udayabhanu, AITUC leader, chaired the meeting. The representatives of the unions, including the former Minister Elamaram Karim, attended the meeting.

The Union government is taking steps to increase the prices of petroleum products steeply after the Parliament session. Such an increase will raise the prices of essential commodities and have a cascading effect on inflation, K.K. Divakaran, national secretary, CITU, and general secretary of the federation, said.