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Nationwide industrial strike today; BJP's economic policies come under fire

The government today appealed in the Rajya Sabha to the employees of the public sector undertakings to reconsider their move for a country-wide strike.

In a suo motu statement Industry Minister Sikander Bakht said the disruption in production will only result in widespread inconvenience to the general public and damage to the economy.

The minister said while pursuing the path of economic reforms the present government has shown utmost concern and sympathy towards protection of the interests of workers and employees of the public sector undertakings.

Bakht said privatisation, setting up of joint ventures by PSUs, revival of sick public undertakings, revision of wages were among other measures taken by the government, keeping in mind the interests of workers of PSUs. Hence it was not necessary for them to adopt any agitational path, he added.

It may be recalled that the National Convention of Committee of Public Sector Trade Unions have given a call for a nationwide strike on Friday the December 11.

Earlier in the day, the entire Opposition staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha to protest against the promulgation of the Essential Supplies Maintenance Act in Haryana to deal with the all-India strike of employees of Central and state governments and PSUs tomorrow.

The issue was raised by Somnath Chatterjee and others soon after question hour.

The members were agitated after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana said that the ESMA had been passed by the Congress government and successive governments had failed to repeal it.

However, he said that the Centre will not permit misuse of the Act by any state government.

Surinder Singh of the Haryana Vikas Party sought to say that the Act had been promulgated to deal with any untoward incidents.

Speaking soon after question hour, in spite of the announcement by speaker G M C Balayogi that there will be no zero hour or lunch break in view of heavy business before the house, Chatterjee said that the economic situation was very grim and even the government admitted that fact. The workers were on strike to press their demands. But the Haryana government had already arrested hundreds of workers under the repressive ESMA. The opposition therefore had no alternative but to protest.

Supporting him, Indrajit Gupta of the Communist Party of India said the strike had been called legally by giving due notice and was going to be peaceful, and therefore the government should not resort to repressive measures.

However, Surinder Singh said that there was no reason for a strike at a time when the Haryana government had also paid all dues under the Fifth Pay Commission. Strike at the time of harvest was bad as there will be no supply of water or electricity. He also expressed fears that the strike may turn violent.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh of the Rashtriya Janata Dal said that the government was repressing the legitimate demands of workers.

The strike has been called to protest against the alleged reversal of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government's swadeshi (economic nationalism) policies, particularly in view of the foreign participation in the insurance sector.

Labour Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya appealed to central trade union organisations not to go ahead with their nation-wide strike on Friday.

Dr Jatiya held a meeting with leaders of the leading trade unions. The latter wanted the government to immediately review the economic and industrial policies and consult labour organisations before taking any policy decision concerning their interest.

The minister told the leaders that he was willing to lead a delegation to the prime minister to apprise him of the viewpoints of the trade unions.

Meanwhile, various states began preparing how best to face the situations arising out of the proposed strike.

Media reports said normal life is likely to be disrupted in Tamil Nadu following the strike called by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its ally the Tamil Manila Congress and the Left parties in protest against the economic policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre and supported by the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which is part of the Vajpayee government.

AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha has justified her party's support to the strike, stating that it was to express solidarity with the working class. Other allies of the BJP including Marumalarchi DMK, PMK and Tamilaga Rajiv Congress are opposed to the strike.

Reacting to reports in a section of the press that the strike would turn out to be a bandh tomorrow, Chief Minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi and TMC president G K Moopanar clarified that there would be no bandh. There would be no closure of shops or picketing agitations, Karunanidhi added.

Transport services were likely to be disrupted as the Southern Railway has cancelled 15 express trains and suburban services. Bus and auto services were also likely to be affected since a majority of workers belonged to trade unions affiliated to the parties sponsoring the strike.

The local railway zone announced cancellation of as many as 15 express trains and suburban services in view of the strike.

The move was taken to ''avoid inconvenience to the passengers''.

Besides the express trains, suburban services both in the metre gauge and broad gauge and the mass rapid transit system would stand cancelled tomorrow.

Karunanidhi and state director-general of police F C Sharma have stated that adequate arrangements have been made to maintain law and order and peace tomorrow.

Sharma said, besides the local police, 53 Tamil Nadu Special Police Companies, nine Central Reserve Police Force companies and two Rapid Action Force companies would be deployed.

One company of Swift Action Force would be deployed in the city, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli, identified as sensitive areas.

Traders wanting to keep their shops open would be provided security, he added.

Karunanidhi clarified that there will be no bandh in the state tomorrow but only a general strike.

He said the general strike sponsored by the ruling DMK, TMC, Left parties and the Janata Dal would be held in a peaceful and democratic manner. There would be no shutting down of shops or picketing, he added.

It had been left to the workers to decide as to whether they would attend work or not during the strike, he added.

In Maharashtra, the state government has warned its employees affiliated to the unrecognised state government employees union against joining tomorrow's nationwide strike called by the National Platform of Mass Organisations.

Officials of the home department said that instructions have been issued to all departments to ensure that normal activity is not hampered due to the nationwide strike. Police and district collectors have been told to remain alert to avert any untoward incident.

Since the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited and Railways are not participating in the strike, security will be beefed up to ensure that these services are not obstructed, officials said.

About 3,000 non-gazetted class III and IV employees will join the strike tomorrow which will affect the movement of files in the state headquarters Mantralaya in South Bombay.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra has fully supported the strike and appealed to the business community, industry and domestic consumers to resist from using electricity tomorrow in protest against the recent hike in power by the Maharashtra State Electricity Board.

The Maharashtra government has geared up its law-enforcing machinery to tackle any emergency situation.

Although the strike will severely hit banks, ports, insurance companies and various industrial units of the state, the services of BEST and the suburban rail services on the Central Railway and Western Railway are not likely to be affected.

Air-India has decided to maintain its flight schedule so that the passengers are not put to inconvenience. It has made various necessary arrangements to counter any problem and the management has advised the employees to refrain themselves from joining the strike.

Some of the unions which have joined the agitation include: Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Indian National Trade Union Congress, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, All India Port and Dock Workers Federation, Indian National Chemical Workers Federation, Kamghar Aghadi, All India Federation of State Government Employees, Air Corporation Employees Union, All India Insurance Employees Federation and All India LIC Employees Federation.

In Panaji, Goa, the general secretary of AITUC Christhoper Fonseca said that the strike is in protest of the misrule and highhandedness of the BJP-led government and its failure to control prices in the country which has been detremental to the working class.

Since the BJP took over the reigns in Delhi, prices of essential commodities have escalated and economic recession has worsened, he said.

The inflation rate has gone beyond eight per cent from 4.7 per cent. Fonseca pointed out that inflation rate in Goa is much higher and more intense. It is 400 points higher then the rest of the country.

Indications of virtual economic collapse are evident with revenue collection falling short by a massive Rs 100 billion during the first five months of 1998-99.

Industrial establishments and financialinstitutions in the state will remain closed in the tourist state.

Over 150,000 workers in the state affiliated to various unions will particpate in the strike.

In Kerala, the high court today directed the state chief secretary and the director-general of police to instruct the district collectors and police authorities to ensure that the court's verdict in a case relating to the ban on bandhs was not flouted.

Considering a writ petition filed by the Kochi-based Institute of Social Welfare, seeking a direction to political parties and trade unions which have called for tomorrow's general strike, Justice C S Rajan said there was a bonafide apprehension on the part of the public that the strike would ultimately turn into a bandh.

The court directed the chief secretary and the DGP to take effective steps to provide protection to those who wanted to work, business establishments, which want to remain open and vehicles which would ply.

In the case relating to ban on bandh, the court had recognised the rights of the workers to strike. However, it had also made it clear that the state should protect the rights of others who did not not want to go on strike. The court's verdict had been upheld by the supreme court also.

In Karnataka, the ruling Janata Dal has supported tomorrow's general strike even as police made elaborate arrangements to ensure normal life in the state.

JD state unit president B L Shankar had instructed all the party units to make the strike a success.

Nearly 130 platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police and homeguards besides the local police would be pressed into service to maintain peace.

Bangalore city police commissioner L Revannasiddaiah said elaborate security arrangements had been mounted in the city, which has the highest number of public sector undertakings.

Police has also provided protection to Central government undertakings in the city.

Meanwhile, the trade unions started mobilising support for the strike.

In Bihar, the Patna high court today restrained the CPI, the CPM and five other political parties from observing 'bandh' in Bihar on Friday, saying a bandh infringed upon the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution.

The court also directed the Bihar government to deploy adequate forces in the state to maintain law and order.

The direction was given by the division bench comprising Chief Justice B M Lal and Justice S K Singh on a public interest petition filed by a social activist Ram Prasad Singh.

The bench, after hearing the counsel for the petitioner and the state, held that prima facie political parties had no right to call or enforce a bandh which infringed upon the fundamental rights.

The court also referred the apex court's ruling in the CPM versus Bharat Kumar case prohibiting a bandh.

The court issued show-cause notices to all the respondent political parties.

On Wednesday in Delhi, the NPMO, which has called the strike, rejected the ''last minute'' appeal of Union Labour Minister Dr Jatiya not to resort to the extreme step in the national interest.

In a rejoinder to Dr Jatiya's appeal last night, the major trade unions said the ''briefly worded last-minute appeal'' was apparently intended for the consumption of public and media but it did not reflect any seriousness on the part of the government to address the issues raised in the light of the strike.

UNI

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