India : Trade Union strike total, peaceful in Visakhapatnam district
VISAKHAPATNAM: With the participation of large workforce in both organised and unorganised sector, the one-day nationwide strike on Friday received good response in the district. The trade unions (TUs) organised rallies
Except BMS, all the leading TUs like the INTUC, AITUC, HMS, AIUTUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, UTUC, LPF, IFTU, YSRTU, Bank, Insurance, Defence and Railway Employees unions participated in the strike. The workers in the unorganised sector led by CITU and AITUC participated in the strike.
The managements of various PSUs and other industries took precautionary measures at their key units with the help of the senior officials.
Normal operations at RINL
However, RINL announced that the strike had not affected operations. RINL chairman-cum-managing director P Madhusudan and other directors closely monitored the situation and made alternative arrangements for smooth functioning of the critical units. Peaceful atmosphere prevailed in the plant and security was beefed up as a precautionary measure.
Around 80 per cent of non-executives and contract workers participated in the strike in the steel plant.
The wholesale traders voluntarily closed their shops and godowns. Addressing a huge gathering at GVMC administrative building, state CITU president Ch Narasinga Rao announced that the strike was complete success and demanded stop to anti-worker policies, no FDI in defence and railways and divestment of the PSUs.
Narsinga Rao alleged that the NDA government was supporting the managements and investors by abolishing labour laws. AITUC, INTUC and HMS leaders expressed worry on the negative impact that the FDI would have in defence, insurance, banking and petroleum sectors.
The national Mazdoor Union staged a dharna and protests at all bus depots. The East Coast Railway Shramik Congress organised a lunch hour demonstration at the divisional railway manager’s office and submitted a memorandum with 12-point charter of demands to DRM Chandralekha Mukherjee.
Dredging Corporation of India Limited non- executive employees union participated in the strike. All the non-executive employees gathered at the DCIL main gate and demanded withdrawal of anti-worker policies.
In Visakhapatnam Port, the port users and other companies minimised the cargo handling operations as majority of the workers participated in the strike.
Insurance Corporation Employees’ Union, Visakhapatnam division, affiliated to All India Insurance Employees’ Association, comprising employees of class three and four, took part in the strike.
Rallies and meetings were organised at all the branch centres across the division.