Strike hits normal life, workers detained in some states

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Normal life in several parts of thecountry was affected today by the one-day nationwide strike bytrade unions with public transport, banking and mining beingamong the most-hit, while protesting workers were detained inHaryana, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The central trade unions said the strike was successful asaround 18 crore workers came on streets to support theagitation, despite only partial impact in some states likePunjab, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. Industry body Assocham pegged the cost to the economy atRs 16,000-18,000 crore from the one-day stir, call for whichwas given by ten central unions to protest against what theycalled the government’s "indifference" to workers demands forbetter wages and facilities and the "anti-worker" changes inlabour laws. The government said sectors such as railways, civilaviation and major ports remained "unaffected", while bankingand insurance, coal, telecom and defence production were"partially affected" and transport and steel saw only marginalimpact. While the agitation paralysed day to day work in stateslike Kerala, Odisha, Tripura, Assam and Telangana, the impactwas quite visible in Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Haryana, WestBengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, claimedTrade Union Coordination Committee (TUCC) General Secretary SP Tiwari. He said: "The impact was partial in states like Punjab,Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan but the life remained normal inmetropolitan cities of Mumbai and Delhi. However the strike issuccessful as around 18 crore workers came on streets tosupport the agitation." Central of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Tapan Kumar Sensaid: "The repose to the strike was massive and unprecedented.Workers actively participated in the strike despite the use ofstate repression including the use of police force in somestates like West Bengal, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Assam etc." CITU said in a statement that Trinamool government in WestBengal used the brutal force of its police as well as itsgoons to physically attack the workers on strike. There wereclashes in several districts as workers resisted the use offorce. It further said, "Section 144 was imposed in severalindustrial areas as in Gurgaon, Faridabad in Haryana, Nodiaetc. 12 workers of Maruti Suzuki and 22 transport unionleaders were arrested in Gurgaon; police went to workersÂ’residential areas in Gurgaon to coerce contract workers whowere on strike, to join work." It added: "The West Bengal transport minister directed theMD of Water Transport to suspend the striking employees. TMCgoons attacked processions of striking workers, youth, womenand even journalists in Burdwan and many other places." MOREPTI TEAM RNK KKS CS SA BJSA