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Strike cripples business, transport
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
New Delhi/Mumbai, May 11: The nationwide strike called by the National
Platform of Mass Organisations (NPMO) against liberalisation,
privatisation, rising prices and cuts in food and fertiliser subsidies evoked
near total to partial response in various states and industries.
Commercial activity was badly hit as employees in most of the banks,
except State Bank, stayed away from work. The strike found its echo in
Parliament where both the Houses had to be adjourned without transacting
any business.
According to the sponsorers of the strike, over two crore persons, including
workers, youth and women, participated in the protest action. The
response was "unprecedented and bigger than the last strike called by
NPMO on December 11, 1998, they claimed. NPMO is an umbrella
organisation of left trade unions and mass organisations. Its constituents
include CITU, AITUC, HMS, TUCC, UTUC and bank and insurance
employees' associations.
Addressing a joint news conference here, CITU general secretary MK
Pandhe said there was a virtual bandh in six states, Assam, Bihar, West
Bengal, Tripura, Kerala, Andhra and in many industrial districts of Tamil
Nadu and Orissa.
Strike was complete in Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Manipur,
West Bengal, Tripura, Bihar, Haryana, UP and Madhya Pradesh, he said,
adding that in other states, it was partial.
In the financial sector, including banks and insurance, the strike was total
all over the country, Pandhe said, adding, in coal and iron ore mines,
overwhelming majority of workers struck work. Also present at the news
conference were KL Mahindra (AITUC), Veereshwar Tyagi (HMS) and
Brinda Karat (All India Democratic Women's Association).
In Mumbai, clearing of cheques was affected at the clearing house as the
employees of majority of commercial banks went on a day's strike to
protest against the government's privatisation programme.
According to central bank sources here, clearing transaction of heavy and
small cheques did not take place since the participating banks expressed
their inability following the strike called the All India Banks Employees
Association (AIBEA) which controls over 50 per cent workers in the
banking industry. On an average, cheques amounting to Rs 185,000 crore
are put on clearing transactions daily in the city clearing house. The
clerical staff of the Reserve Bank also participated in the one-day strike.
Reserve Bank spokesperson said that public dealings at the RBI offices
were affected at Bhubaneswar and Calcutta due to the strike.
A labour ministry spokesperson said the strike call evoked mixed
response. However, he admitted that banking and insurance employees
participated in the strike in a big way, affecting commercial activity.
Drawing attention to the nationwide protest action, in both houses of
Parliament, agitated members demanded rollback of the hike in prices of
essential commodities.
Members from left parties raised the demand immediately after the Lok
Sabha assembled. The Speaker adjourned the house after ten minutes.
When the house reassembled, there were uproarious scenes again,
leading to another adjournment till 4.30. With left, Samajwadi and RJD
members trooping into the well when it reassembled at 4.30, the Speaker
finally adjourned the House for the day.
Rajya Sabha also witnessed similar scenes and was adjourned for the day
soon after it reassembled at 2 pm following disruption of pre-lunch session.
Chairman Krishan Kant had adjourned the house twice as the entire
Opposition raised anti-government slogans against the cut in subsidy on
foodgrains and fertilisers.
Finding the members in no mood to allow normal proceedings, deputy
chairperson Najma Heptulla adjourned the House for the day.
MANTRALAYA AFFECTED: Meanwhile, the strike call given by the
Maharashtra State Government Employees Confederation to protest
against largescale privatisation was total as the employees did not report
to work.
According to confederation general secretary R G Karnik, the routine work
in Mantralaya as well as all Government offices in the metropolis and the
entire State came to a grinding halt following total support to the strike
call.
In Mantralaya, barring the senior officials, none of the staff was present on
duty, as a result, the Government had to deploy home guards to operate
the lifts. ``We are protesting against largescale privatisation and massive
retrenchment of Government employees,'' Karnik said.
Karnik also took strong objection to the contention of Finance Minister
Jayant Patil that the Government was spending 73 per cent of the total
income on the establishment. ``I think the contention of the Government is
misleading. On several occasions in the past, we have established that the
total expenditure on establishment is not more than 15 per cent,'' Karnik
said.
The federation has strongly criticised Jayant Patil for his plan to retrench
employees. He has already asked his own department to reduce the staff
strength by five per cent. ``If his action is implemented, then atleast 50,000
employees will be rendered surplus by the end of July. Simultaneously,
50,000 teachers will be declared surplus by the same principle,'' Karnik
added.
Karnik said to decide the future course of action, a high-level meeting of the
federation of State Government employees has been convened at New
Delhi.
Copyright � 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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