Bhubaneswar, Sept 2: Normal life in many parts of the State today has been affected due to the dawn-to-dusk Bharat bandh by central trade unions. The private and Government sector workers joined the strike demanding the fulfillment of a 12-point charter of demands.
Protesting the Government’s “anti-labour policies” in labour laws, members of various trade unions in the State rejected the government’s appeal and enforced a strike.
With the agitators staging road blockade at many parts of the State, the transport service has badly been affected as buses, trucks, auto-rickshaw remained off the roads with shops, business establishments and few educational institutions also remaining shut. Rail Roko at Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Balasore and Jaleswar railway stations has also been staged by the agitators.
Due to the bandh, it has been observed bleak attendance in Raurkela Steel Plant (RSP). Besides this Nalco also joined the bandh. But on the other hand the All India Bank of Confederation opted out of the strike.
Protesting against the Government’s indifferent attitude towards their demand, around 10 central trade unions, including INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, UTUC and LPF have joined the one-day strike. The unions demand includes social security for workers and a minimum wage of not less than 18,000 per month, an assured enhanced pension of not less than 3,000 per month for all sectors, including unorganised workers, FDI to be removed from railways, defence and other “strategic sectors, an end to privatisation of PSUs, recognition to ASHA and Anganwadi workers.
As compared to last year where around 14 crore workers participated in the strike, this year the unions have claimed that the strike will be bigger as the number of striking workers is expected to expand to as much as 18 crore. Workers in central public sector undertakings like Coal India, GAIL, ONGC, NTPC, OIL, HAL and BHEL will participate in the strike.
