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New Delhi: Eleven major trade unions, supported by about 5000 smaller unions, across the country and across political affiliation, have called for a 24-hour strike today to protest against what they call the "anti-labour" policies of the government. Banking and insurance services are worst hit across the country. (Watch: Nationwide bandh by trade unions)
Banking apart, there has been a mixed response to the bandh call - states like Kerala and West Bengal, where the Left is politically strong, have reported empty roads and closed market places. It has been life as usual in Mumbai; there is far less traffic on Delhi roads than usual.
A look, in 10 points, at how the bandh has affected life in the country today:
1) Expect poor or no service at Public Sector Banks today. Employees of all these banks have joined the one-day strike to oppose the "outsourcing of non-core activities to private sector banks". There are around 87,000 branches of public sector banks across the country and state-owned lenders control 75 per cent of banking business. Operations in private banks are, however, said to be normal.
2) In Delhi, there are very few taxis or autorickshaws at railway stations and on the roads. Traffic is smooth as a result, but commuters who use state-owned buses have had a tough time with fewer such buses plying today. There have been traffic jams, however, at the busy ITO traffic junction, where trade unions called for a "chakka jam." The Delhi government clamped Essential Services Maintenance Act or ESMA on all power companies last night to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the Capital.
3) Mumbai has shrugged off the strike call. Barring banking and insurance, life is unaffected in the metropolis. Taxi and autorickshaw unions have made clear they will not join the strike to ensure students appearing for the ongoing class 12 examinations are not affected. Operations at both the airports in the city have been smooth so far. Trade unions are expected to demonstrate at south Mumbai's Azad Maidan later in the day. Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh too has reported almost no response to the bandh.
3) The epicentre of the strike is in West Bengal, where the Left, which controls major trade unions, is striking back at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who ended a 30-year Communist reign in the state last year. Mamata has slammed the "politics of bandh," has candidly admitted that resorting to bandhs during her days as opposition leader was a "mistake" and has gone all out to ensure the bandh fails. The government has ensured that state transport buses and trams are plying to facilitate passenger movement; workers of her Trinamool Congress have spread out to ensure that the affect of the bandh is minimal. However, few people have ventured out of home and Kolkata's usually bustling streets are bare today.
Ms Banerjee had warned government workers against joining the strike yesterday and today, over a 100 pro-strike supporters were arrested in different districts for obstructing rail and road traffic. Shops, markets and business establishments have been mostly closed. Services at the NSC Bose international airport are normal. Interestingly, attendance at the West Bengal state secretariat, Writers' Buildings, was at an unusual 65 per cent; Ms Banerjee has warned state government employees that absence from duty would be treated as a break in service.
4) In Congress-ruled Kerala, public transport and banking services have been badly hit. Shops and educational institutions are largely closed and attendance in government offices is very thin today. The roads of capital Thiruvananthapuram are bare. (Watch: Kerala shuts down because of nationwide strike)
5) In Bangalore, commuters faced some trouble as autorickshaws are off the roads.
6) In Hyderabad and other parts of Andhra Pradesh, employees of various organisations and Left activists have held rallies and other forms of protest.
7) Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana reported disruptions in banking and in the transport sector.
8) The government had last week appealed to the trade unions to desist from going on strike with Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge saying the government was ready to discuss all labour-related issues. Last-minute talks failed yesterday, with the trade unions rejecting all government offers for talks.
9) The trade unions have warned of a nation-wide shut-down if their demands are not met. They are demanding a universal social security net for all unorganised sector workers through creation of a national social security fund, enforcement of basic labour laws and stringent punitive action against violation of labour laws. They are also demanding amendment to the Minimum Wages Act, provision for pensions, abolition of contract-based appointments and for putting an end to the disinvestment process of profit-making Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
10) All major trade unions have joined the strike. This includes the Congress-backed INTUC, the Shiv Sena-backed Bharatiya Kamgar Sena and UPA ally the Indian Union Muslim League's trade-wing, apart from the Left backed unions.
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Banking apart, there has been a mixed response to the bandh call - states like Kerala and West Bengal, where the Left is politically strong, have reported empty roads and closed market places. It has been life as usual in Mumbai; there is far less traffic on Delhi roads than usual.
A look, in 10 points, at how the bandh has affected life in the country today:
1) Expect poor or no service at Public Sector Banks today. Employees of all these banks have joined the one-day strike to oppose the "outsourcing of non-core activities to private sector banks". There are around 87,000 branches of public sector banks across the country and state-owned lenders control 75 per cent of banking business. Operations in private banks are, however, said to be normal.
2) In Delhi, there are very few taxis or autorickshaws at railway stations and on the roads. Traffic is smooth as a result, but commuters who use state-owned buses have had a tough time with fewer such buses plying today. There have been traffic jams, however, at the busy ITO traffic junction, where trade unions called for a "chakka jam." The Delhi government clamped Essential Services Maintenance Act or ESMA on all power companies last night to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the Capital.
3) Mumbai has shrugged off the strike call. Barring banking and insurance, life is unaffected in the metropolis. Taxi and autorickshaw unions have made clear they will not join the strike to ensure students appearing for the ongoing class 12 examinations are not affected. Operations at both the airports in the city have been smooth so far. Trade unions are expected to demonstrate at south Mumbai's Azad Maidan later in the day. Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh too has reported almost no response to the bandh.
3) The epicentre of the strike is in West Bengal, where the Left, which controls major trade unions, is striking back at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who ended a 30-year Communist reign in the state last year. Mamata has slammed the "politics of bandh," has candidly admitted that resorting to bandhs during her days as opposition leader was a "mistake" and has gone all out to ensure the bandh fails. The government has ensured that state transport buses and trams are plying to facilitate passenger movement; workers of her Trinamool Congress have spread out to ensure that the affect of the bandh is minimal. However, few people have ventured out of home and Kolkata's usually bustling streets are bare today.
Ms Banerjee had warned government workers against joining the strike yesterday and today, over a 100 pro-strike supporters were arrested in different districts for obstructing rail and road traffic. Shops, markets and business establishments have been mostly closed. Services at the NSC Bose international airport are normal. Interestingly, attendance at the West Bengal state secretariat, Writers' Buildings, was at an unusual 65 per cent; Ms Banerjee has warned state government employees that absence from duty would be treated as a break in service.
4) In Congress-ruled Kerala, public transport and banking services have been badly hit. Shops and educational institutions are largely closed and attendance in government offices is very thin today. The roads of capital Thiruvananthapuram are bare. (Watch: Kerala shuts down because of nationwide strike)
5) In Bangalore, commuters faced some trouble as autorickshaws are off the roads.
6) In Hyderabad and other parts of Andhra Pradesh, employees of various organisations and Left activists have held rallies and other forms of protest.
7) Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana reported disruptions in banking and in the transport sector.
8) The government had last week appealed to the trade unions to desist from going on strike with Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge saying the government was ready to discuss all labour-related issues. Last-minute talks failed yesterday, with the trade unions rejecting all government offers for talks.
9) The trade unions have warned of a nation-wide shut-down if their demands are not met. They are demanding a universal social security net for all unorganised sector workers through creation of a national social security fund, enforcement of basic labour laws and stringent punitive action against violation of labour laws. They are also demanding amendment to the Minimum Wages Act, provision for pensions, abolition of contract-based appointments and for putting an end to the disinvestment process of profit-making Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
10) All major trade unions have joined the strike. This includes the Congress-backed INTUC, the Shiv Sena-backed Bharatiya Kamgar Sena and UPA ally the Indian Union Muslim League's trade-wing, apart from the Left backed unions.
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