Day 1 of Bharat Bandh: Strike hits banking operations, public transport services in several states

Public dealings at some bank branches were hit and public transport services were thrown out of gear in states like West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as thousands of workers on Monday began a two-day nationwide strike to protest against policies of the Union government. However, essential services like healthcare, electricity and fuel supplies remained unaffected. Public offices as well as educational institutions were not impacted by the strike called by nearly a dozen trade unions. Some bank branches, particularly in cities with a strong trade union movement, did very limited over-the-counter public dealings such as cash deposits and withdrawals. Pan-country scenario The joint forum of central trade unions, which has called for the two-day strike that started on Monday, said that bandh-like situation prevailed in at least eight states due to the nationwide strike against various policies of the government. “There is a bandh-like situation in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Haryana and Jharkhand,” the forum said in a statement. According to the forum, agitations were held in many industrial areas across states like Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. In Maharashtra, volume data from clearing houses and cash replenishment at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) was not immediately available, though the striking employees claimed that they had a deep impact. Besides, a day after threatening to impose the Maharashtra Essential Services Management Act (MESMA), power minister Nitin Raut held a virtual meeting with the striking employees and assured them that none of the corporations will be privatised, one of the key concerns of the employees, according to a statement. The minister has called for a face-to-face meeting with the employees on Tuesday and all the concerns expressed by them will be discussed, as per the statement from the minister’s office. Workers staged protests at several places and unions claimed the agitation has had an impact in coal mining belts in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In West Bengal, normal life was hit with protesters blocking roads and stopping movement of trains at some stations. State road transport buses as well as auto-rickshaws and private buses were off the road in Kerala but essential services, including supply of milk, hospital and ambulance services were not affected. Public transport services were hit in Haryana as employees of state roadways joined the strike. Banking services at public sector banks were affected in Jharkhand as a major section of employees did not report for duty. Jharkhand chapter of the Bank of India Employees Union (BoIEU) claimed that more than 2,000 branches of various public sector banks remained shut across the state. Bank employees were seen on dharna outside the gates of their bank branches. Trade union workers also took out protest marches in various parts of the state. Banking services were not affected majorly in Rajasthan. Only three out of nine bank unions have given a call for the strike so banking services were not majorly impacted, state convener of the United Forum of Bank Unions, Mahesh Mishra, said. In Tamil Nadu, buses run by state-run transport corporations remained off the roads in most parts of the state on the first day of the two-day strike. Operations in public sector banks were affected barring the State Bank of India and the Indian Overseas Bank, according to an All India Bank Officers’ Association office-bearer. Also, a section of workers of a couple of scheduled private banks also took part in the strike, he told PTI. Thousands of workers of state-owned SAIL, RINL and NMDC also joined the strike, affecting production at steel plants and mines. Banking services were partially impacted on Monday as a section of bank employees did not report for duty. However, there was hardly any impact on the functioning of new generation private sector banks. There might have been a delay in cheque clearances and government treasury operation might have also be affected by the strike. The impact of the strike is prominent in eastern India as many branches of public sector banks there are closed, All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) general secretary C H Venkatachalam said. In the other regions, branches are open as officers are present but services are being impacted due to many employees participating in the strike, he said. It is a hit, claim unions “The two-day nationwide strike by the joint forum of central trade unions has begun this morning and has got good response,” Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), told PTI. She said the entire coal belt (mining area) has been affected in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. According to her, there was a good response for the strike call in industrial areas of Assam, Haryana, Delhi, West Bengal, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Kaur claimed that banks and insurance sectors have been affected all over India while steel and oil sectors were also seeing partial impact due to the strike. About 20 crore workers are expected to join the strike. The strike notices have been given by the unions in various sectors, including coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks, and insurance.   It is a flop, claims CAIT However, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said the strike called by a joint forum of trade unions has been a “total flop” in the informal sector. In a statement, it also claimed there was no impact visible even in various industrial areas where small industries are having manufacturing activities. Bal Malkit Singh, chairman of Core Committee of All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) said that as per the report received, the transportation of goods has not been affected by the strike. AIMTC, the apex body for the truckers, has not given a strike call. “Our trucks are running smoothly all over the country,” he said. “All supplies are normal. During the day, we have not received any feedback from any of the members across the country that there is any disruptions in the supply chain…. We are not part of the agitation,” he said. Similarly, the two-day nationwide strike failed to evoke much response in the BJP-ruled Tripura on Monday, the first day of the stir, officials said. Attendance in government offices and educational institutions was normal. Private schools, however, remained shut citing the safety of the students in the wake of the strike. Vehicles were seen plying on roads while train services and flight operations were normal. Banks, financial institutions, markets and business establishments remained open in Agartala, the state capital. Life was normal across the state today despite the strike. There was no detention or campaign in favour of the bandh in the state capital or elsewhere, a senior police officer said. **Why is there a bandh** A joint forum of central trade unions has given a call for a nationwide strike on 28 and 29 March to protest against government policies affecting workers, farmers, and people. The central trade unions that are part of this joint forum are INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC. The unions’ demands include scrapping of the proposed changes in labour laws, privatisation of any form and the national monetisation pipeline. Increased allocation of wages under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and regularisation of contract workers are also part of their demands. Bank unions are protesting against the government’s move to privatise two public sector banks as announced in Budget 2021-22. Bank employees also demand speedy recovery of bad loans, higher deposit rates by banks, lower service charges on customers as well as restoration of old pension scheme for staff. With input from PTI Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.