Bhubaneswar: The two-day Bharat Bandh, called by a joint forum of Central trade unions on March 28 and 29, is likely to affect several service and financial sectors in Odisha.
According to sources, the banking, mining, transport and trade sectors in Odisha will be highly affected as their state-level unions have extended support to the forum’s bandh call. The bandh will be observed from 6 am to 4 pm.
Speaking to Odisha Bytes, Krusna Chandra Patra, state president of Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), one of the members of the joint forum, said the transactions in the banks and services of insurance companies will be stopped for two days during the bandh. The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and the employees’ union of State Bank of India (SBI) have consented to join the nationwide strike called against the anti-worker policies of the Central government.
Similarly, the mining operations in the state, particularly in Talcher, Rampur and Brajrajnagar, will also come to standstill as the workers will abstain from the works. “The workers’ unions of different mines have come out in support of the bandh as the contract and outsourced workers are very poorly treated by the mines’ owners. While they are paid very less despite putting in more manhours compared to regular employees, the working condition is also pathetic,” said Patra.
The movement of trains, buses and trucks will also be paralysed as the unions have taken up the cause of the workers in unorganised sectors like transport. The members of HMS and other unions will stage rail roko at different stations and put up road blockade on major roads like National and State highways across the state, the union president said.
He further said shops and business establishments will remain closed as their unions have agreed to participate in the strike.
However, educational institutions and emergency services like hospitals will not be affected as those have not been brought under the ambit of bandh call, Patra said.
It may be noted that the Joint Forum of Central Trade Unions took the decision on nationwide strike at its meeting in New Delhi on March 22. The bandh call was given after discussing the preparations by the unions in various states and sectors for the purpose.
The bandh has been called to protest against “anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national policies” of the Central government. The working people have been severely affected by the Centre’s policy decisions which have led to regular rise in the prices of petroleum products. Besides, the government has brought down the interest rate on EPF and is planning to implement monetisation policy regarding the PSUs against the interest of the workers, the forum stated.
