Trade union bandh gets mixed response in Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 14: The day-long nation-wide shutdown called by the trade unions, affiliated to the Left, against the economic and industrial policies of the UPA government, evoked a mixed response in the national capital.

Employees from banks, LIC and the Public General Insurance Companies are part of the bandh organised by the Sponsoring Committee of Trade Unions, an amalgam of AITUC, AICCTU, CITU, HMS, TUCC, IDBI, UTUC, UTUC-LS, federations of bank/insurance, Railways, Defence, Petroleum, Coal, Civil Aviation and others.

Attendance in some offices was slim but operations were not affected in most organisations in Delhi.

At the Delhi Airport, the management had put contingency measures in place and flight operations functioned as normal.

Shops and markets also functioned normally across Delhi.

The striking workers staged a rally here near Jantar Mantar which was addressed by Senior Left leaders Sita Ram Yechuri, Mr Gurudas Das Gupta and Tapan Sen.

The Left had called the strike to press the government to accept its 16-point charter of demands, including comprehensive legislation for the unorganised sector workers and a ban on outsourcing of jobs among others.

The demands also include a legislation to protect 370 million people in the unorganised sector, checking violation of labour laws and stopping the move to disinvest profit-making PSUs.

The RSS-backed Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Congress affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress have refused to join the strike.

UNI

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