A nationwide strike called by central trade unions saw a mixed response across India, impacting various sectors and states differently, with some areas experiencing disruptions while others remained largely unaffected.
Over 25 crore workers across India are set to strike against new labour codes and privatisation, potentially disrupting banking, postal, and other essential services.
A nationwide strike called by trade unions to protest against the central government's labor policies had a mixed impact across India. While normal life remained largely unaffected in most parts of the country, some sectors like banking, transport, and insurance experienced disruptions. Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in West Bengal.
Talking to PTI Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said, "The two-day nationwide strike by the joint forum of central trade unions has begun this morning". About the impact of the agitation, she said that the entire coal belt (mining area) is affected in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. She also said that there is a good response in industrial areas of Assam, Haryana, Delhi, West Bengal, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The AITUC official noted that the banks and insurance sectors are affected all over India, while steel and oil sectors are also seeing partial impact due to the strike. Kaur said that she has got preliminary reports that markets are closed in Odisha.
The share of women workers in registered factories submitting annual returns - working more than the statutorily-mandated maximum limit of 48 hours in a week - increased to a 11-year high of 33.6 per cent in 2019, shows the latest annual data released by the labour bureau. In comparison, only 27.9 per cent male workers worked more than the statutorily-mandated hours. Earlier in 2008, 39.2 per cent women workers had worked more than the prescribed work time.
A joint forum of central trade unions has given a call for a nationwide strike on March 28 and 29 to protest against the government policies affecting workers, farmers, and people.
'Now, it feels like the darkness has descended again.'
A joint forum of central trade unions has given a call for a nationwide strike on March 28 and 29, to protest against government policies affecting workers, farmers, and people. The Joint Platform of central trade unions held a meeting in Delhi on March 22, 2022, to take stock of the preparations in various states and sectors for the proposed two-day all India strike on 28-29 March 2022 against "the anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national policies" of the central government, a statement said. The statement said that roadways, transport workers and electricity workers have decided to join the strike in spite of the impending threat of ESMA (Haryana and Chandigarh, respectively). Financial sectors, including banking and insurance, are joining the strike, it stated.
According to reports, public transport and banking services remain partly disrupted for the second day in some states.
Most of the lenders had informed their customers in advance about the strike call given by All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA), BEFI, INBEF, INBOC and Bank Karmachari Sena Mahasangh (BKSM), and its impact on banking services.
While all indicators pointed to economy drastically slowing down due to lack of demand, the government continued to steer its policies in the name of 'ease of doing business', aggravating widespread impoverishment and deepening the crisis further, the unions alleged.
The CPI-backed AITUC has proposed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to utilise pension funds and employees provident fund for infrastructure development instead of investment in the speculative capital markets.
None of the issues which have been continuously raised by the central trade unions, including unemployment, minimum wages, social security and 14-point charter of demands, were addressed by the minister.
Operations in refineries, pipelines, production units and commercial offices of public sector oil companies were on Tuesday affected due to a day-long strike by about 300,000 workers protesting Centre's move to divest.
Ten central trade unions on Tuesday said they are going ahead with their planned nationwide general strike on November 26 and also announced their support to a two-day farmers' agitation next week. The meeting of the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and Sectoral Independent Federations and Associations was held virtually on November 16, 2020. Unions expressed satisfaction over the tremendous response being received from workers and the people at large throughout the country to the ongoing campaign for the countrywide general strike on November 26, 2020, a joint forum statement said.
Wistron, which earlier pegged the losses at Rs 437 crore, later notified the Taiwan stock exchange that the total losses were around Rs 50 crore.
RSS-aligned Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) on Monday expressed disappointment over the government's budget proposals with regard to divestment and foreign direct investment, especially in the insurance sector. The BMS, however, lauded the government for its current efforts on the massive vaccination programme, a special scheme for tea workers in West Bengal and Assam, labour oriented push on infrastructure projects in construction sector and development of five major fishing harbours viz. Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Petuaghat as hubs for economic activities etc. On other Budget proposals, it said in a statement that "mixing the beautiful concept of Aatmanirbhar Bharat with FDI and disinvestment in the Union Budget is disappointing for the employees".
Workers rally in support of sacked employees at Manesar
Ten central trade unions except Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh are observing one-day general strike on Thursday to protest against various government policies.
The two-day old strike by coal workers across India was on Wednesday called off with the government and the unions reaching an agreement after a marathon meeting.
Ten central trade unions on Friday gave a call for a nationwide strike on May 22 to protest against the suspension of labour laws by some states during the lockdown period, and also decided to take the matter to International Labour Organization (ILO). "The joint platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) in their meeting held on May 14 , 2020 took note of the critical situation for the working people in the country during the lockdown period and decided to enhance united actions to meet the challenge," a joint statement by 10 CTUs said.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the central trade unions also threatened to give a call for nationwide agitation to protest against such moves by state governments. "The CTUs consider these moves as....gross violation of the Right to Freedom of Association (ILO Convention 87), Rights to Collective Bargaining (ILO Convention 98) and also the internationally accepted norm of eight hour working day espoused by Core Conventions of ILO)," the statement said.
With political equations changing in bastions of Left unionism, stiff challenges await the soldiers of strikes and bandhs.
The unions, CITU, AITUC, BMS, INTUC, HMC, AUITUC, TUCC, AICCTU and UTUC demanded that the government stop disinvestment of public sector units and bring in a lagislation to protect workers of unorganised sector.
The trade unions would jointly carry out demonstrations, sit-ins and other forms of protests on October 28 to focus on the government's economic policies which were leading to job losses and hiking the prices of essential commodities.
Air services may be disrupted on August 20 as airport employees have decided to join the major trade unions in their general strike against the "anti-people" policies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Five leading unions (INTUC, AITUC, BMS, HMS, and CITU) had given the strike call from January 5 to 7 to press for their wage revision demand. However, with the Coal India management and the unions entering into a memorandum of understanding on the wage agreement in Hyderabad on Sunday, the strike has been called off.
Union leaders said RIL's bonus offer of Rs 33,000 was not acceptable to them. Last year it was Rs 40,000.
The strike, however, had no impact on production of auto majors Maruti Suzuki India, Hero MotoCorp, Honda Cars India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Hyundai Motors India as their plants in various parts of the country functioned normally.
Senior CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the gap between the Left and United progressive Alliance was widening.
The unions, including CITU, AITUC and HMS, said they have presented their eight-point charter of demands to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a meeting in New Delhi on Monday. The unions, in a memorandum submitted to Singh, warned that they would oppose the government's "new initiatives" in disinvesting public shares in profit making PSUs through initial public offers.
After a three-hour meeting of the Central Board of Trustees of the EPF, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen said that the meeting decided to continue with 8.5 per cent for 2007-08, ignoring the demands by trade unions to hike the interest rate to 9.5 per cent.
Central trade unions on Wednesday decided to hold a nationwide demonstration on January 20 against the government's notification of 8.5 per cent EPF rate for the current fiscal.
Favouring labour reforms but without 'hire-and-fire' system, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Friday said rigidities in labour laws were affecting the domestic job market.
Charging the UPA top brass of aligning with industry chambers and not paying heed to coalition partners' demands, Left leaders on Friday said the forthcoming Budget should restore capital gains tax, rationalise corporate tax exemptions and export inc
Even as the world celebrates Women's Day on Tuesday, the International Labour Organisation said women are a group severely excluded from India's growth and development.
Ahead of the crucial EPF board meeting on Tuesday, the central trade unions have demanded restoration of 12 per cent interest to provident fund subscribers.
Trade union leaders claimed that the strike would be even bigger than the one last year as the number of striking workers is expected to swell to 18 crore
The Railway Board and employees at Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, makers of the train, are at loggerheads over the proposed transfer of design and reassigning the manufacturing of Train 18 to Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli.
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