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Thursday, Aug 21, 2008
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Strike has little impact in State

Tamil Nadu Bureau

But work in Central government offices, banking and insurance sectors hit

— Photo: V. Ganesan

SHOW OF UNITY: Members of trade unions affiliated to the Left parties staging a demonstration in Chennai on Wednesday.

CHENNAI: The nationwide general strike called by Central trade unions did not affect normal life in Tamil Nadu, though its impact was felt in Central government offices, banking and insurance sectors.

Over 60,000 workers, including women, affiliated to the Left parties and Central trade unions were taken into custody for organising picketing, rail roko and road roko.

Picketing was held in 504 places and rail roko at 23 centres. One State transport corporation was damaged by agitators.

CPI MPs K. Subbarayan and M. Appadurai were among those who were arrested. In Chennai, CITU general secretary A. Soundararajan and AITUC general secretary S.S.Thiyagarajan and others were arrested.

Director-General of Police (Law and Order) K.P.Jain said but for a few stray incidents of road blockade and rail roko, there was no untoward incident in the State. “Attendance in [offices of] Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and TNEB was 100 per cent,” he said. But trade unions and government employees unions maintained that various State government offices witnessed a sharp fall in attendance.

Operations in the installation of IOC came to a standstill. Over 50 per cent of the workers of the BSNL Chennai Telephones kept away from work. Buses were operated, but transport workers affiliated to the CITU, AITUC and other Central unions did not report for duty.

The LIC was hit hard by the strike, according to the all India LIC Employees Federation. The employees held a demonstration in front of the head office here.

Bank Employees Federation of India secretary S.A. Rajendran said transactions in Tamil Nadu were affected with over 50,000 workers participating in the strike. Convener of Joint Action Council of College Teachers-Tamil Nadu U. Sundararajan said nearly 10,000 teachers held demonstrations at the district headquarters. CITU president A.K. Padmanabhan said as many as 80 lakh industrial workers, government employees, bank and insurance staff participated in the strike. Tamil Nadu Government Employees’ Association general secretary Muthusundaram said “the administration in the State was paralysed. Two lakh government employees took part in the strike. In Coimbatore, Southern Railway cancelled services to Kerala. The strike also affected operations in hosiery works in Tirupur.

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