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Strike claims life in Haryana; violence in Noida New Delhi, February 20 A trade union leader Narendra Singh was killed in Ambala after he tried to stop a bus from plying. Damage to property was reported by industrial unit owners in Noida Phase II where over 1,000 workers joined protests. The Noida police said CPM trade union members turned violent after a factory management refused to engage with them on the demand of wage revision. They torched five vehicles, the police said.A high-level probe has been ordered into the arson. Public transport, banking and insurance services were badly affected, especially in New Delhi and Maharashtra. Effect of the call was felt formidably in Kerala, Tripura and Bihar and sporadic violence reported from Odisha and Karnataka. Trade union leaders termed the strike as “successful” and regretted the violence. “The strike was unprecedented. We had never believed the general strike would be so massive and widespread. This should serve as wake up call for the Government,” Gurudas Dasgupta, general secretary, AITUC, said today. The strike was called in protest against UPA’s ‘neo-liberal’ and ‘anti-labour’ policies which were leading to price rise and unemployment. The central trade unions demanded wage revision at the earliest. Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said these issues could not be resolved in a day. “They are talking about price rise and disinvestment. These things take time and cannot be resolved in a day. We know they have been saying this for two years now but the government is doing its best.” Though flights were not hit and railway services remained uninterrupted, banking and financial services in the public sector were badly hit as 26 public sector banks with employee strength of around 10 lakh abstained from work.
Though banks claimed they had intimated their customers in advance and loaded the ATMs, several ATMs in Delhi were out of cash. In West Bengal, Bharat Bandh was partially successful as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed full attendance at the Writers Building. Commercial establishments were, however, closed. “Work culture has been restored in Bengal. There was 100 per cent attendance in state government offices. We withdrew our support from the Centre because of fuel price hike and the FDI in retail...those who are sponsoring today's bandh refused to support our no-confidence motion,” Mamata said targeting the Left and promising normal work tomorrow. The strike may get bigger tomorrow with Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp and Suzuki Motorcycle India announcing support, fuelling fears of big hit to production of automobile companies. Gurudas Dasgupta dared Mamata Banerjee to declare the strike as illegal and said the right to strike was protected by the Constitution. Back in Delhi, buses and auto rickshaws were off roads leading to harassment of commuters as a section of Delhi Transport Corporation supported the strike. Same was the case in Mumbai where the strike was successful with the banking and insurance sector employees participating in full.
Ambala tense after death of union leader Ambala, February 20 After the incident, the agitated employees ransacked the official vehicles of Deputy Commissioner of Police and the local SHO. They alleged that three senior officers were sitting in the bus which hit their colleague. They sat on a dharna. Later, they gathered at the civil hospital where the body of the deceased was kept. President of the district unit of the union Inder Singh Badhana said the administration was responsible for the death. The state president of the union Sarbat Singh Punia announced that they would block the GT Road if a case against the guilty officers was not registered. He also demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh and a government job to the next kin of the deceased.
Banking hit in J-K Banking services were paralysed on the first day of the nationwide strike call given by trade unions in Jammu on Wednesday. Employees of nationalised banks and the insurance sector protested against FDI in the banking sector. Rallies in HP Carrying placards and raising slogans against the Central government, activists of various trade unions took out processions in the state. Life crippled in Punjab Normal life was hit in Punjab by the two-day strike being observed by various unions. Passengers faced inconvenience for hours as the state Roadways buses remained off the road.
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