Bharat Bandh: Trade Union Strike Evokes Mixed Response on Day 2

The two-day strike by central trade unions evoked mixed response across the country on Wednesday, 9 January, as it entered its second day, with banking and transport services being affected partially and few incidents of violence seen in West Bengal.

As many as 10 central trade unions, except Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, protested against the government's alleged anti-labour policies and unilateral labour reforms. They had given a call for a two-day Bharat Bandh on 8 and 9 January.

General Secretary Hind Mazdoor Sabha Harbhajan Singh Sidhu told PTI that there was 100 percent strike in Assam, Odisha, Manipur, Meghalaya, Maharashtra and Goa.

A unified call for a nationwide “general strike” for Tuesday and Wednesday by central and local trade unions on the issue of “anti-labour” and divestment policies of the current Union government will disrupt public transport in Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka between 6 am and 6 pm.

Except Namma Metro, all forms of public transport run by state-run transport (bus) corporations – BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC, NEKRTC – are likely to be hit as workers affiliated to multiple unions voiced their support to the bandh call.

Several schools across Kerala announced that they will be shut on 8 and 9 January. Schools – not just in Kerala but in other states such as Karnataka as well – have announced holidays due to the strike. Buses and autos are expected to be not operational on these two days.

The Associated Management of Private Schools and CBSE Schools Association announced that private schools will remain shut in Bengaluru. The Pre-University Department has also reportedly postponed preparatory exams for PU-II students. Reports also said various universities including the Bangalore University and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences have postponed their exams.

District Commissioners of Bengaluru, Chamrajanagar and Mysuru have also ordered all educational institutions in their jurisdiction will remain shut.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 7 January, Monday, claimed that the trade unions-called general strike would have no impact in the state.

The state government has announced that its employees would be barred from availing casual leave or any half-day leave on Tuesday and Wednesday.

No leave will also be allowed on the day preceding the two-day strike or following it, a government notification said last week.

Private bus owners and taxi associations and app-based cabs have decided to take out vehicles on the roads like normal days.

The Kolkata police, on Tuesday, detained CPM workers protesting as part of the 48-hour Bharat Bandh.

Members of the Central Trade Unions blocked commuters in Bhubaneswar. The traffic movement was also affected on the National Highway 16 due to the protests.

The All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) members took to the streets of Patparganj industrial area in New Delhi to protest against the privatisation of public sector.

They also demanded minimum wages and social security, among other things.

Clashes broke out between the workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party (Marxist) in Asansol during the two-day strike called by the Central Trade Unions.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said that she did not support the Bandh, and that there will be no Bandh in her state.

Normal life took a hit in West Bengal as rail-blockades disrupted train services in both Howrah and Sealdah divisions of the Eastern and the South Eastern Railways.

Protesters put up blockades and clashed with the police in many stations, NDTV reported. Extra police personnel has been deployed throughout West Bengal to prevent disruption or violence.

Stones were allegedly pelted by miscreants on a Bengaluru Municipal Transport Corporation bus near Basaveshwaranagar, CNN News18 reported.

The state government in Karnataka has given indirect support to the bandh. Almost all state run institutions excepts hospitals are shut, News18 further reported.

Sporadic incidents of vandalism have been reported from parts of West Bengal on Tuesday during the two-day long nationwide strike called by the central trade unions.

Protesters also vandalised a bus at Jamuria in Paschim Bardhaman district.

Scuffles were witnessed between police and strike supporters in some areas of the state.

At Jadavpur area in south Kolkata, senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty along with several other strike supporters were detained by the police.

Leaders of political parties, including the CPI(M), have come out on the streets in support of the strike. The ruling TMC has opposed the strike.

Banking operations on Tuesday have been affected in some parts of the country as a section of employees refrained from work in support of the two-day strike.

However, the operation in SBI and private sector banks remained unaffected as other seven unions in the banking sector are not part of the strike.

Many public sector banks have already informed their customers about likely impact on services if strike materialises.

More than 20 lakh employees and workers of public, private and unorganised sectors in Telangana are expected to participate in the two-day nationwide strike called by ten central trade unions.

Ruling TRS party-backed trade bodies in Singareni Collieries Company Limited and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation may not participate in the strike.

Senior CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, according to NDTV was detained by the police in Jadavpur, along with several other protesters. Chakraborty tweeted about the protests, calling the protests ‘Successful People’s Strike’. He accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of serving PM Modi against the "people's voice".

As 10 trade unions in India have begun the 48-hour-long nationwide strike on Tuesday, normal life was severely hit in Kerala as some trade union members blocked trains and vehicles plying on the road. Here are the public services that have been disrupted due to the protests:

Trains: The police had to arrest and remove those protesting in front of several trains starting services from Thiruvananthapuram, delaying other trains by hours. Trains have been blocked at Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha and Thripunithura. Railways sources told The News Minute that while five trains have been partially cancelled, one train has been fully cancelled.

Buses: Kerala Road Transport Corporation is operating services from Thiruvananthapuram to Pamba, the base camp of Sabarimala. Private bus services have also been halted.

Taxis: Taxi-hailing services, Ola and Uber are not running service across the state, Sajith Kumar, an office-bearer of Online Taxi Union told TNM.

Autorickshaws: Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram saw some tension as some protesters stopped autorickshaws from plying on the roads. However, the police intervened and removed the protesting group.

Hotels: Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association (KHRA) State General Secretary G Jayapal told The News Minute that more than 50 percent shops are open.

Government Employees: Only a few government employees have reported for work on Tuesday.

Shops: In Malapurram's Manjeri, shops are being made to forcefully shut. A scuffle broke out in Kayamkulam in Alappuzha as shopkeepers were being forced to put up the shutters. The police arrested and removed the protesters.

The West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights has sent a show-cause notice to CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty and other CPM leaders over the attack on a school bus in Barasat, FirstPost reported.

The commission said that "such dangerous and unconstitutional move by a political party” is a violation of child rights under the juvenile justice Act.

Thousands of workers walked in a march in the Goa capital today in support of the two-day nationwide strike called by Central trade unions against the government's alleged anti-worker policies and unilateral labour reforms.

However, normal life remained unaffected in Panaji and other parts of the coastal state where local unions would observe a strike Wednesday.

Members of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) protested inside Maidan metro station in Kolkata on Tuesday, 8 January in support of the two-day nationwide strike called by Central Trade Unions demanding minimum wages and social security schemes among others, reported ANI.

As 48-hour long strike by trade unions escalated across various parts of the country, collectors of Keonjhar, Balasore, Mayurbhanj Dhenkanal and Cuttack in Orissa announced the closure of schools and educational institutions in their respective districts on Wednesday, 9 January, reported Kalinga TV.

Train services in West Bengal's Sealdah-Lakshmikantapur Namkhana and Diamond Harbour Section were affected as strike supporters threw banana leaves on the overhead wire at Dakshin Barasat, Mathurapur between Nischindapur-Kakdwip and Kakdwip-Namkhana on Sealdah-Lakshmikantapur Namkhana section, ANI reported on Wednesday, 9 January.

According to the report, banana leaves were also thrown in Basuldanga on Sealdah-Diamond Harbour section.

Tower vans have already been dispatched to remove the banana leaves from the overhead wire to restore normal services. Normal services however, are maintained in other sections of Sealdah division.

West Bengal state government has directed bus drivers operating on Wednesday to wear helmets while driving, in view of the nationwide strike called by Central Trade Unions.

At least two students were injured after protesters participating in the two-day nationwide strike pelted stones at a bus in West Bengal's Shanpur Mor area. The bus was travelling on the Jhikira-Howrah route, ANI reported.

The workers participating in the two-day national strike will go on a protest march from Mandi House to Parliament on Wednesday at noon. Protests would be seen in other parts of the country as well.

All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur told PTI that there will be a complete bandh in Goa and Bihar, while 100 per cent strike is expected in other parts of the country too.

She said that due to UGC exams, which started Tuesday, some state transport departments would not participate completely in the strike in the interest of students.

The exams are scheduled in some states on Wednesday as well.

All university examinations slated for Wednesday, 9 January, have been postponed as many educational institutions were closed, news agency IANS reported.

Meanwhile, the tourism industry had sought exemption from shutdowns, but popular tourist destination like Alappuzha and Wayanad were badly affected as travellers were unable to move from one place to another.

Reports also suggested blockage of rail and road from several parts of the state.

Protesters vandalised a government bus in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar area, injuring two people including the bus driver. Police forces are present at the spot.

Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty was arrested once again on Wednesday for taking out a rally at a bus stand in Jadavpur in the southern part of West Bengal, officials told PTI.

Chakraborty was also arrested on 8 January for taking out a rally in support of the strike and was released in the evening.

In Coochbebar district, supporters of the strike pelted stones at autos as a result of which the drivers stopped the services.

Senior CPI(M) and Left leaders took out processions in various parts of the state in support of the strike.

Angry protesters stormed into the cabin of a State Bank of India (SBI) manager and vandalised it in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

"At around 10:15 am, angry protesters came into my cabin and asked if I did not know that today is a protest day. I told them that although we are open, banking operations were not taking place. Then, they threw the computer and other properties on my table," Santosh Karunakaran, the manager, told IANS.

This branch is located near Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office and also the temporary union office of the protesters.

The bank has lodged an official complaint and the police have begun a probe.

Daily commuters, office-goers and students suffered as private bus operators and tourist taxis stayed off roads across Goa on Wednesday on the second day of the nationwide trade strike.

While no incident of violence has been reported, absence of private buses which ply on majority of the public transport routes left passengers in distress, according to the district administration. This was despite additional buses from the state government-operated Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) being pressed into service.

Speaking to IANS, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said that all efforts were being made to minimise the impact of the strike in Goa.

Schools, colleges and universities in several districts of Odisha remained closed in the ongoing nationwide strike against anti-labour policies of the Central government.

Train services in Bhubaneswar, Balasore, Berhampur, Cuttack and many other places in the state were obstructed. However, many vehicles were plying without any hassle in the capital city – Bhubaneswar.

Thiruvananthapuram-Hyderabad Sabari Express and Venad Express were blocked at Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram railway station on Wednesday on the second day of nationwide trade strike.

The Kottayam-Nilambur passenger train in Kalamassery was also held up for a while.

Trade union activists shout slogans as they participate in a demonstration on the second day of a two-day nationwide strike called by various trade unions in New Delhi.

Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Hindustani Awam Morcha and Left parties participated in the two-day nationwide strike in Bihar. The protest was called by Central Trade Unions demanding minimum wages and are protesting against the government's alleged anti-labour policies and unilateral labour reforms.

Government offices and bus services functioned normally across Karnataka on Wednesday, as the city largely remained unaffected by the 'Bharat Bandh.'

A few hundred industrial workers, joined by Anganwadi workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), who took out protest march from Bengaluru's Town Hall to Raj Bhavan amidst tight police security.

Bus services in Bengaluru, however, were fewer, with only 428 bus services plying across the city against the 4,100 scheduled, leading to a high demand for autos and ride-hailing services like Ola and Uber.

Most of the schools in the state that had declared a two-day holiday ahead of the strike remained closed, while few opened on Wednesday.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley questioned the motive behind the 2-day bandh and asked if this is a part of the Left parties to not be wiped out from the political map of India.