Ten central trade unions – with the notable absence of the BJP-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) – have called for a strike to demand a revision of minimum wage and hike it up to Rs 18,000. There has been no affect on availability of power supply or water supply.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the Centre for India Trade Unions (CITU) said Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had on August 31 informed about the NDA government’s commitment to fair earning and social security for the workers. This strike has caused a loss of Rs.16,000 – 18,000 crore to the Indian economy, as estimated by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham). Some auto and cab unions joined the strike but metro services were normal. All scheduled banks will wear a deserted look like previous year and this time many government offices and factories will be shut down on Friday.
There has to be strict enforcement of basic labour laws without exception or exemption and stringent punitive measures for violation for labour laws, MN Bhattacharjee, president of Meghalaya Joint Council of Trade Unions and Associations said.
The CITU leaders claimed that the strike was a big success and normal life was affected in the state.
Most public sector banks did not do any public dealing while insurance companies’, including LIC’s, functioning was badly hit with employees staying away from work. In Mumbai, it was business as usual with suburban trains, autorickshaws, taxis and city buses operating normally.
Tamil Nadu State Transport Employees Federation General Secretary Armugam Ninar told The News Minute that about half of all state-run buses would ply on the roads.
Society has changed much from the past when bandhs and strikes made a lot of difference and impact. “At several places the police tried to break demonstrations, but workers are coming out to join the protests”. He said that rather than going on strike the trade unions should have sat across the negotiating table with the government to reach a middle ground.
Certain states, such as Karnataka, opted to play safe and kept buses off the roads, even as protesting workers were detained in Haryana, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Advertisement
India workers’ strike against Modi’s anti-labour policies was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 02, 2016 and was last updated on September 02, 2016.
