The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Strike hits work in government undertakings

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Thursday, Aug 21, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Strike hits work in government undertakings

Karnataka Bureau

Life remains unaffected; transport services not affected

Unions claim 40,000 bank workers joined stir
Workers take out a rally, hold meeting at Banappa Park

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

SHOW OF STRENGTH: Members of trade unions staging a demonstration at Banappa Park in Bangalore on Wednesday as part of the nationwide strike.

BANGALORE: The impact of the all-India strike called by trade unions on Wednesday, in protest against a host of issues including price rise and economic liberalisation, was largely restricted to banks, insurance companies and industries in the public sector.

Life was affected only partially with a large number of autorickshaws remaining off the road. There was lukewarm response to the strike.

However, shops and other establishments remained open and the State public transport corporations augmented their services to meet the demand.

Banks and offices of the public sector insurance companies remained shut along with public sector majors and the strike was nearly total in most public sector undertakings in Bangalore, including Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bhrat Heavy Electricals Ltd., Bharat Earth Movers Ltd., Bharat Electronics and Indian Telephone Industries. The attendance was thin in State and Central Government offices.

Prasanna Kumar, working president of the BEL Workers Union, said that all workers, including contract employees, took part in the strike. Karnataka Pradesh Bank Employees’ Federation (KPBEF) general secretary Vasant Rai said that nearly 80 per cent of the 40,000 employees of banks in Karnataka stayed away from work. About 20 per cent of the officers in the State stayed away from work. The strike paralysed the insurance industry in the State. Amanullah Khan, All India Insurance Employees’ Association president, said: “The strike was total in Karnataka.”

About 6,000 employees of the Life Insurance Corporation of India and the General Insurance Corporation in the State participated in the strike.

No transactions could be conducted although officers reported for duty in some parts of the country as there were no workers to handle operations.

The “prime concern of insurance workers is the Government’s decision to increase Foreign Direct Investment in the insurance industry,” said Mr. Amanullah.

Autorickshaws

Although not all autorickshaw unions supported the strike, commuters were put to inconvenience because only about 50 per cent of the autorickshaws plied on the roads. Many who depend on autorickshaws for daily travel complained that the auto drivers demanded double fare.

Hospitals unaffected

The strike did not have any major impact on medical services in the city.

However, the inflow of patients to a few government hospitals was less than those on normal days.

According to S. Rajanna, RMO of the State-run Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, the hospital usually had more than 1,000 patients in the out-patient department. “But today we had around 750 patients,” he said.

Workers’ rally

Workers of organised and unorganised sectors in Bangalore joined the all-India strike by taking out a rally from Mysore Bank Circle to Banappa Park, where they held a public meeting. Leaders of all major trade unions, including the Centre for Indian Trade Unions, the All India Trade Union Congress, the Hind Mazdoor Sabha, the Trade Union Co-ordination Centre, besides those heading unions of public sector takings, addressed the 1,000-odd workers.

H.V. Ananthasubba Rao of AITUC said that the demands of the workers were not for economic gains, but for larger issues of price rise and the impact of economic liberalisation on the people. He pointed out that 77 per cent of the people in India lived on the earning of Rs. 20 a day.

V.J.K. Nair of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the so-called industrial boom had happened at the cost of agriculture because the production of seeds and fertilizers had gone into the hands of multinational companies.

BIAL not affected

The flight operations were not affected at Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) because of the nationwide strike.

However, the airlines had cancelled flights to and from Kolkata in view of the strike by the Airport Authority of India employees at Kolkata airport.

Although the air traffic control was managed by the officers of the AAI, the BIA was not affected as the officers did not strike work.

Meanwhile, the AAI employees’ union held a demonstration in front of the HAL airport.

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