Kolkata: Jyoti Basu opposes strike in IT sector

Kolkata, Oct 27: Giving a shot to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's arm, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu today said the IT sector should be immune to any strike.

''Like any other essential services, IT sector is an area where strike should be restricted,'' he told reporters while coming out of the CPI(M)'s state secretariat meeting.

Mr Basu said there was no difference of opinion in his party on the issue.

He, however, supported trade union activities in the IT sector saying it was necessary.

''Trade unionism should be there in the IT sector. I think it is justified,'' he said.

Mr Basu's remarks came in the wake of a debate inside the party over propriety of forming trade union in the IT sector.

Party veteran Subhash Chakraborty yesterday created a flutter asserting that the sector should not be immune to trade unionism.

''I feel that trade unions should be formed in IT industry. It is a necessity given the widespread exploitation in the sector,'' he said.

The remarks of Mr Chakraborty, said to be a detractor of the Chief Minister in intra-party politics, added further grist to the ongoing debate over the issue after the CPI(M)-backed CITU recently formed an association to redress complaints by IT employees.

''There are people in the higher echelon of the industry whose wages are handsome. But most of the others are given a pittance.

This is a gross exploitation,'' Mr Chakraborty said.

The debate within the Left over propriety to form trade unions in the IT industry gained momentum recently as political circle was abuzz with talks over possibility of a strike in the sector on December 14, the proposed date for the CITU-sponsored nationwide strike.

The Chief Minister, whose enterprise saw IT giants like IBM, Wipro, TCS and Cognisant to set foot on the state, had asserted that the government would initiate similar measures during the Left-sponsored strike as well.

UNI