India: Mixed response for nation-wide strike, banking, transport hit

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) A nation-wide 24-hour strike called by 11 major Indian trade unions today evoked a mixed response disrupting public sector banking operations and transport services in some states but normal life remained largely unaffected. The strike in protest against the government's "anti-labour policies" was by and large peaceful with no major incidents of violence being reported. Air services remained normal while train services were disrupted in some divisions of Eastern Railways and South Eastern Railways due to picketing by protesters. Life in major cities, including capital Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, was normal though it was affected in states like Kerala, Odisha and Tripura. The stir had a mixed response in West Bengal where the Trinamool Congress government went all out to neutralise the strike with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally monitoring the situation. Communist Party of India (Marxist) criticised the Trinamool supremo for adopting 'oppressive methods to foil the strike'. Attendance at the West Bengal state secretariat, Writers' Buildings, was at an 'unusual' 65 per cent in the wake of the warning to state government employees by Mamata that absence from duty will be treated as break in service. In West Bengal, shops, markets and business establishments were mostly closed in some areas, while state-run buses and trams plied with fewer passengers. 100 pro-strike supporters were arrested in different districts for obstructing rail and road traffic. Most of the public sector bank branches in major cities were open, but the attendance remained thin as majority of clerical staff abstained from work. Private sector banking services were normal. Besides the Left-backed unions, the pro-Congress and pro-BJP labour outfits had also backed the strike. Central trade unions had given the strike call demanding guarantee of labour rights, end to the contract labour system, bringing workers in the unorganised sector under the social security net and pension benefit for all workers. In the country's commercial capital, Mumbai, the strike had a partial impact with financial institutions getting affected. Barring banking and insurance sector, which have a large presence of trade unions, normal life was largely unaffected in the metropolis with all essential services especially public transport functioning as usual. In Delhi, the strike had little impact though normal functioning of PSU banks were affected and a number of autos and taxi drivers kept their vehicles off the roads to take part in the protest. PTI Caption for pic: Activists protest during the day-long strike called by major Indian trade unions against the anti-labour policies of the Indian government in Mumbai on Tuesday. PTI Photo