Angry t(i)rade

Ludhiana, September 2

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Central trade unions went ahead with their one-day bandh on Friday leaving hundreds of commuters stranded. 

The workers affiliated to the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), INTUC, CTU, and CITU gathered at the bus stand and organised a protest rally in support of their demands.

Unions of workers of Punjab Roadways and PRTC also joined in. The employees of various nationalised bank unions, too, pitched in with the protesters and marched from Bharat Nagar Chowk towards the bus stand. Speakers also criticised the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) for not joining the strike at the behest of the RSS. The interstate bus terminus wore a deserted look and besides private buses, all government-run buses were parked at the bus stand. Protestors included a large number of women, construction workers, industrial workers, hosiery workers, bank, electricity, public health workers and contractual workers.

Corporation workers, roadways and others sections of workers also joined. The strike proved a boon for private bus operators. There were reports that some private bus operators were involved in overcharging. 

"I had no idea what the strike was all about, until I reached the bus stand. The government-run buses were not operational and people were stuffed like sardines in private buses. I somehow managed to reach Khanna," Saurabh Kumar, a harried commuter, said. 

Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, General Secretary, AITUC, Punjab, said the government had made a false claim that they have agreed to increase the daily wage to Rs 350, adding that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had failed in his duties. "In fact this will affect only contractual workers in a selected few Central government sectors and this forms a miniscule number out of the 45 crore work force in the country," he said. — TNS