Jamshedpur: The joint trade union called 24 hour bandh badly hit banking, postal and insurance services and left the small scale industry sector struggling to meet production schedule.
A section of banks across the city were badly affected following a nationwide bandh to protest against price rise and other issues such as disinvestment of public sector, retrenchment and entry of foreign capital in the retail market. Work in almost all the public sector’s banks and insurance offices remained shut in favour of the demands. In some places employees staged demonstrations near the bank premises and raised slogans in favour of their demands.
While it was complete shutdown of banking, postal and insurance sectors leading to losses of crores the industrial units in the Adityapur Industrial Area weathered the bandh call by remaining open their units but with less than normal attendance.
Daylong nationwide strike calls by 10 trade unions made loss to the tune of nearly Rs 300 crore. Though trade union sponsored strike call (except BMS backed unions) did not have much impact in the industrial sector either in the ancillary hub of Adityapur and Gamharia in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan or in steel city as both large and small scale industries functioned normally except a few number of SSI units shutting down due to labour strike.
The Jamshedpur division of Life Insurance Corporation of India Limited which looks after functioning of LIC units in East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Ranchi, Garhwa, Daltonganj and Gumla witnessed complete shutdown of 20 branches and 10 satellite branches under its jurisdiction.
The bank union leaders blamed the Union government for following what they called ‘anti-employee’ policies. They said that the public sector banks are capable enough to compete with the private banks but still the government is favouring the disinvestment. They said that the bank employees should get another option for pension schemes.
“The strike should serve as a warning to the Central Government that has taken up certain policy decisions without assessing their negative impact on the working class. Privatisation should be immediately dropped to save the future,” said Subodh Sen senior functionary of AIBEA.
He alleged that conscious efforts are being made to weaken the public banking system to pave the way for multi-national companies to carry on their businesses smoothly without being mired in labour laws. BSNL units suffered a loss of Rs 2 crore with 1000 odd employees joining the stir.
In the name of banking sector reforms, he said, the government is attempting to reduce their share of equity capital in the public sector banks, thereby, increasing the hold of private capital in these banks.
The government is also pursuing their policy of consolidation and merger of public sector banks, which are totally unwarranted and would in no way benefit in strengthening banks, he said. In some places employees staged demonstrations near the bank premises and raised slogans in favour of their demands.
