Reports pouring in from different parts of the country reveal that Banking Industry has come to a grinding halt because of the General Strike today. Shutters were down everywhere with Bank Employees picketing and demonstrating at Bank gates and, in many places, employees took out large processions and held rallies highlighting the demands of the people in general and of the Bank Employees in particular.
It has been an unique manifestation of determined-united opposition of workers and employees against the non-challent refusal of the Central Government (i) to take effective-preventive measure for arresting the spiralling price rise of all daily-necessities, more importantly of food-grains, (ii) to roll-back the administrative price-rise of petro-products (iii) to strictly enforce the labour laws and to take stringent punitive measure against rampant violation thereof, as also of Trade Union rights, by the employers, (iv) to ensure adequate social security of the unorganised-sector workers, (v) to take effective steps for stopping outsourcing of regular jobs in organised sector and to ensure job-security of workers and employees, (vi) to stop disinvestment of profitable Public Sector Undertakings, etc. In the case of Banking Sector, the employees are also sore, in addition to the aforesaid common issues, over merger of Public Sector Banks (PSBs), non-recruitment in vacancies – over a lakh by now – in PSBs, insensate contractualisation of perennial jobs involving custormer service over the counter etc. Incidentally, it has been a manifestation of unique unity of the Working Class of the country where almost all the Central Trade Unions and Workers’ and Employees’ Federations have joined hands for unitedly voicing their demands.
It is most regrettable that despite persistant demands of the working class, ventilated through the ALL INDIA PROTEST DAY on 28th October 2009, Massive Dharna on 16th December 2009 and Satyagraha/Jail Bharo on 05th March 2010, the Central Government appears to be totally indifferent to the problems afflicting the lives and livelihood of the common man.
