TU strike hits life in West Bengal, Kerala

Functioning of government establishments was affected on Tuesday by the countrywide general strike called by eight central trade unions including Congress-affiliated INTUC against price rise, alleged violation of labour laws and disinvestment in PSUs.

Workers from sectors including coal, power, telecom, banks, insurance, defence, port and dock, road transport, petroleum and construction took part in the strike across the country under the banner of INTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU and UTUC.

Banking operations were partially affected as employees, mainly belonging to pub lic sector, cooperative and regional rural banks, joined the strike opposing FDI in the banking sector and grant of licences to private banks. Major private airliners cancelled over 170 flights from various cities to West Bengal and Kerala in the wake of the strike but national carrier Air India said its operations were not hampered due to the stir.

Kolkata wore a deserted look with offices, shops, bazars, commercial establishments and educational institutions closed and state and private buses off the roads. Barring Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, no minister attended the State Secretariat, where out of a total of 6,000 employees only 60 were present. Three IAS and three IPS officers attended office at the secretariat. Muslim dominated areas were, however, exempted from the purview of the strike by the CITU because of Ramzan.

Air operations to and from Kolkata were crippled as private airliners like Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Jetlite, Indifo and Spicejet cancelled nearly 177 flights mainly to the two Left-ruled states, where normal life was badly hit by the strike which took the shape of a bandh. "It was unprecedented and inconceivable strike all over the country. It is the unity (of the trade unions) that inspired workers to join the stir and its impact was massive," AITUC general secretary and CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta claimed. He claimed that life came to "standstill" at many places. "After many years, the strike hit Maharashtra. Pune was totally closed, according to our information," he added.

-Asian Tribune-