Guwahati/Agartala: The two-day nationwide strike called by the 10 central trade unions against the central government’s policies and in support of the 12-point demands, partially affected the banking, postal, telecommunication, insurance services and many production sectors in the northeastern region.
Banking and postal services are largely affected in the two-day countrywide shut down, called by several trade unions backed by the anti-BJP parties, including the Congress and the Left parties. Transport sectors were also affected due to the strike.
After over a month-long campaign, the striking employees and workers have decided to observe a strike on Monday and Tuesday in support of the their 12-point charter of demands including scrapping of the labour codes, no privatisation of government sector in any form, scrapping of the National Monetisation Pipeline, increased allocation of wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and regularisation of contract workers.
Leaders of the striking employees claimed that the response on the first day of the two-day strike was very good in all the eight northeastern states. Jawaharlal Dey, a leader of the agitating employees and workers said: “The strike is not in the interest of the employees and workers alone… the agitation is to protest policies of the Central government and to protect the Indian banks, insurance, telecommunication and other production and service sectors from so-called reforms.”
He said that PSBs are implementing all government schemes, including Jan-Dhan Yojana, social sector insurance scheme and Mudra schemes, meant for the economically and socially backward sections of the society.
The banking employees have also been protesting the outsourcing of non-core activities by the authorities.
However, the BJP and its allies which are ruling the eight northeastern states, are opposing the shutdown while the saffron party-backed trade union body Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) opposing the strike launched a campign urging the people not to respond the strike.
BJP leader Tinku Roy said that the strike is against the development and the working class people and it badly affected the economy of the country after the Covid-19 pandemic.
CPI-M backed Centre of Indian Trade Unions’ leader and former Tripura Minister Manik Dey said in Agartala that the first day of the two-day strike was successful and the people supported it spontaneously.