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Saturday, Oct 28, 2006
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Treat IT as essential service: Basu

Special Correspondent

Jyoti Basu

KOLKATA: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu, on Friday, defended the setting up of trade unions in the Information Technology sector. He said there was a need to consider the sector as an essential service where the right to strike should not be abused.

"There will have to be trade unions in the sector and we cannot rob the workers of their right [to form them]." But the IT sector should not be treated on a par with other sectors, Mr. Basu said at the end of the State Secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) meeting. "We have to consider how the sector can be brought within the essential services and work is not affected by frequent strike calls as might be the case in other sectors," he said.

There is no difference in opinion on the matter within the CPI(M), he said.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has been emphasising the need for the IT sector to be considered in the essential services category. He is keen on keeping the sector out of the purview of strikes, particularly as it is a key component of his plans for greater industrialisation in the State.

Mr. Basu is, apparently, in agreement with the Chief Minister's argument that the IT be perceived differently from most other sectors on the question of strikes.

Earlier this week, the West Bengal IT Services Association — an umbrella organisation for employees in the IT sector — was formed under the tutelage of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. CITU president, M.K. Pandhe had told The Hindu that the union was planning to set up unions or associations in the IT sector in some States and there is "nothing negative" about the formation of such unions — something which was being told to IT sector employers.

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