Partial response to strike; banking, transport hit

A 24-hour nation-wide strike by 11 trade unions Tuesday remained peaceful and evoked a mixed response, but key sectors like banking and transport took a hit in various parts of the country.

The strike, involving around 800,000 public sector employees, was to demand an end to contract labour, amendment of the Minimum Wages Act, an increase in gratuity payout and compulsory registration of trade unions within 45 days.

The demands also include a universal social security net for all unorganised sector workers through the creation of a National Social Security Fund, enforcement of basic labour laws and stringent action against violation of labour laws.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had appealed to all major trade unions and 5,000 unaffiliated unions to call off the strike.

But the unions rejected the appeal, saying it came only 48 hours before one of the largest strike calls in the history of independent India.

State-owned banks were mostly closed across the country as retail banking operations were the worst affected, with many officials absent.

Even the Reserve Bank of India employees joined the stir against the government’s labour policies.

Flights were not much affected with many of the airlines operating according to schedule. Airport operations too progressed unhindered, said officials.

Other sectors like mining, manufacturing and insurance were also hit by the strike.

India Inc. termed the strike as “unfortunate and completely misplaced” at a time of economic slowdown and low business sentiment.

In the national capital Delhi, fewer public transport vehicles plied and many auto-rickshaws and taxis were off the roads.

The Delhi government had enforced Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to ensure important services like power and healthcare remain unaffected.

The strike had a major impact on the centralized banking and industry sectors in capital’s Gurgaon suburb. Public transport and other basic services were also badly effected.

Around Rs.100 crore transactions were affected in the 17 branches of State Bank Of India, an official said.

Production in hundreds of industries including Maruti India Limited, Hero Moto Cop, Ranbaxy, Suzuki, Lumex India, Satyam, MESL and Hema Engineering was affected.

The strike was almost total in Kerala and hit life across Karnataka.

Normal life was also hit in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Tripura and Odisha, even as officials had persuaded employees not to join the strike.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the strike has been a failure as the common people of the state have not responded to the call.

In state capital Kolkata, the streets wore a near empty look and train services were disrupted as protestors put up blockades at various railway stations.

In the financial capital Mumbai, employees of banks, insurance companies, central government and local bodies as well as workers in several private industries joined the strike.

Labour unions claimed the strike, the biggest since independence in 1947, was to warn the government against its “anti-labour policies”.

The unions including INTUC, BMS, CITU, AITUC, UTUC, AIUTUC, HMS, TUCI and NLO took part in the strike demanding steps to control the rise in prices of essential commodities and creation of more employment opportunities.