Guwahati: The nationwide strike called by the 10 central trade unions against the central government’s policies and in support of the 12-point demands, affected the banking services in the Northeast.
Services of postal, telecommunication, insurance and some other sectors were also hit due to the two-day nationwide strike.
Banking and postal services are largely affected 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 their 12-point charter of demands including scrapping of the labour codes, no privatization of the 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 states in the Northeast.
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.
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.