Bharat Bandh:Unions strike affects mining in Jharkhand

Ranchi, Sep 2: The 24-hour strike called by the central trade unions halted 90 per cent of the work in the mining sector in Jharkhand but hardly affected normal life here on Friday.

Mining activities at Central Coalfield Limited (CCL) and Bharat Coking Coalfield Limited (BCCL) came to a complete halt.

A CCL official told IANS: "Most of the staff involved in mining remained absent." Sources revealed that 90 per cent of mining activities in both CCL and BCCL were affected.

Life in Ranchi and other parts of the state remained normal.

Trade union leaders came out on the roads in support of their demands. In Godda district 24 trade union activists trying to block railway services were arrested.

The strike also affected work in Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) in Ranchi and banking services.

Attendance in the telecom and Public Sector Units (PSU) was thin.

Trade union leader Aja Rai said : "We demand minimum wage of Rs 18,000 for labourers. The people working in PSUs and other sectors should be given social security cover."

The trader union strike coincided with the shutdown called by Maoist organisation People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), disrupting bus services in many districts.

IANS