A day of country wide general strike called by the six left Trade Unions to demand a review of the Supreme Court judgement on the right to strike and the to protest against the "anti-people", "pernicious" policies of the NDA Government, halted activities in all states affecting life to varying degrees but affecting never the less.

 

The success of the strike can be gauged from the fact that almost all the media has reported the strike as having a "paralytic effect", "total strike" or "bandh like situation", etc. Trade Union leaders also congratulated their workers and members for the success of the strike. The president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), M.K. Pandhe, told press persons that the working class had "magnificently responded" to the strike call. S. Veeraiah, general secretary of Andhra Pradesh CITU, said that far more sections of workers participated in the strike than on earlier eight occasions. The strike gained in stature by the joining in of the State and Central Government employees, disrupting essential services in a number of places and affecting the economy as well. So much so that even the forex trade felt the jolt.

 

Business activity was adversely affected due to the day long strike by officers and staff of nationalised banks. The Reserve Bank of India's clearing operations were disrupted and transaction volumes fell by half, from 33 out of 113 banks refusing to participate. Even the rupee declined by four paise. Reports poured in from all states telling of the thousands that went on strike, staging dharna's, demonstrations and taking out rallies in large numbers on streets and in front of public offices. Though officially the BMS, HMS and the INTUC did not take the strike call, their rank and file did participate in some parts of the country. All southern states saw near total strike.

 

Andhra Pradesh

In the capital city of Hyderabad the strike was total in state and central government offices and banks, however partial in telecommunications, APSRTC, Singareni Colleries, municipal corporations and councils, government hospitals, insurance, postal department and few public sector units all over the state.

 

At several places employees and workers wore black badges and staged demonstrations in large numbers.

 

Reports from districts indicated that the response was good, though not affecting normal life and business establishments remained open. The government did try to foil the strike and eight CITU leaders were also arrested from different parts of the state.

Karnataka
A total bandh was observed in different districts of the state and life came to almost a stand still with even business establishments, industries, state and public transport, observing the strike call.

 

Former Minister S. K. Kanta, Maruti Manpade, memebr of the state secritariat, CPI(M) and others led rallies, demanding political parties to include in their manifesto, the annihilation of the SC judgement. 50, 000 employees of PSU's, banks, insurance companies and private and unorganised sector workers participated in the rally.

Among government offices, Income tax, postal and telegraph offices remained closed. In Doddaballapur, more than 300 anganwadi workers and farmers took out a peaceful procession. In other districts gold mine and beedi workers also observed total strike.

Kerala

The strike more or less "crippled life" in Kerala. The general strike called by the Samyukta Trade Union Samithy, a combine of trade unions brought life to a stand still in the state. Industrial units, business, banks and markets, all remained closed on account of the strike. Public and even private vehicles were not allowed to ply on the roads. The participation varied from 50% to 78% by the workers and at the state PSUs between 38% to 94%. The Samyukta Trade Union Samithy, in a press release congratulated the workers for making the strike a success.

 

Employees' Union Kerala circle secretary, R. N. Pata Nayar, said a majority of the 20,000 Telecom employees, including members of unions affiliated to the INTUC and the BMS, stayed away from work and took out marches in the districts. Although the INTUC and the BMS had dissociated themselves from the strike, workers owing allegiance to them also appeared to have joined the strike.

 

The CITU State general secretary, P.K. Gurudasan, termed the strike an `unprecedented success'.

West Bengal

The general strike called by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and other leftist central trade unions affected normal life in West Bengal. Almost all industrial activity came to a stand still. Even flight and train operations were affected and some trains were stranded at various stations. "Strike is a tool to voice our protest and so will it be in the future," said the state CITU president, Shymal Chakraborty.

 

Meghalaya and Assam

A large number of agitating workers of the left-affiliated trade unions, including some leaders were arrested from different parts of Assam. Despite the opposition of the Congress-backed INTUC, several tea garden workers joined the strike. Several employees of private sector companies like Assam Carbon, India Carbon, Brahmaputra Jute Mills, North East Tubes, Hindustan Lever at Doomdooma and others also joined in.

 

Madhya Pradesh

In Bhopal Central and State government employees came onto the streets to make their demands heard. Following a call by the United Forum of Bank Employees, an umbrella organisation of the bank staff more than 5000 bank employees went on strike. The BHEL factory too was deserted, given a call by the CITU affiliated BHEL Kamgar Trade Union.

 

Meanwhile in a statement issued, the Samajwadi Party endorsed the demands of the Central and State government employees and accused the BJP-led NDA government of joining hands with big business while ignoring the legitimate demands of the average citizen. Samajwadi Party members also submitted a memorandum to Collector Sanjiv Shukla demanding immediate redress of employees' grievances.

Tamil Nadu

Strike paralyzed work in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Centre for Indian Trade Unions and All India Trade Union Congress functionaries staged a road roko in 14 places in rural Tirunelveli and 1,015 cadres, including 290 women, courted arrest.

Punjab
Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Ambala, employees of various departments like electricity, water supply, transport, maintenance, administration and municipal corporation observed a complete strike. Some other department employees like the Indian Council for Child Welfare, the Housing Board, the Central Craft Institute, Government College, Home Science, the BDPO and Forest and Medical Officer of Health took part in the strike as a symbolic action.

 

There were a few cases of the police resorting to lathicharge in a few places in Punjab, like on the Haryana Roadways employees, who were restricting the movement of buses. No injuries were however reported. The police rounded up several of the employees. In Panipat four labourers sustained injuries when police lathicharged.

 

In Bhiwani traffic was blocked for about an hour. In other parts of the state almost all government offices and public sector undertakings were closed and other services paralyzed the state.

 

Delhi
The Delhi University and the JNU teachers also supported the employees. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) staff held a demonstration in front of the Town Hall here to express solidarity with their cause. Employees of public sector banks, insurance companies and other public sector undertakings held a joint demonstration in front of the State Bank of India Building on Parliament Street. The gathering was addressed by Mr. Gurudas Gupta, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AICTU), who called upon the workers to put up a joint front against the 'sinister' move by the Government to weaken the workers' movement by depriving them of the right to strike.

 

Besides this in other states like Goa, Pondicherry, thousands of workers employed in various sectors and establishments participated in the one-day, nation-wide general strike.

All in all the strike was a country-wide success and the response appreciated by those who called it. The Central Trade Unions and Federations congratulated the working class employees for their massive response to the call of general strike.