The two-day nation-wide strike called by 11 major central and state trade unions commenced in the state on Wednesday paralyzing banking operations, affecting coal production and disrupting transport services.
The strike has been called by BMS, INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC and other trade unions in pursuance of their 10-point charter of demands which includes concrete steps to contain inflation, measures for employment generation, universal social security and making the minimum wage of Rs. 10,000 per month along withy daily allowance.
As over 70,000 employees working in public sector banks in the state joined the strike, banking operations were crippled adversely affecting trade and business houses all over the state. With 65,000 employees working in the state-owned Singareni Collieries in the four districts of Telangana struck work and joined the strike, coal production came to a halt. It is estimated that two lakh tones of coal production per day would be hit.
Police stepped up security measures at mines in Khammam, Karimnagar , Warangal and Adilabad districts to provide protection to those not participating in the strike. The production in the Visakhapatnam Steeel Plant also suffered as 10,000 permanent and contract employees joined the strike. The work in the Vizag Port too suffered as the employees to joined the strike. The workers in the jute mill in Eluru of West Godavari district also joined the strike disrupting the production.
The strike in the state-owned APSRTC was partial as 50 percent of the buses plied. Though two auto unions had supported the strike demanding hike in the minimum fare, some autos in Hyderabad operated fleecing the commuters who depended on the three-wheelers due to lack of adequate bus services. The employees of the GHMC too joined the strike throwing out of gear clearance of garbage and sweeping of roads.
The police foiled the attempts of the striking employees belonging to AITUC to take out a Chalo Secretariat rally. There was tension for some time as the striking employees and the police were engaged in jostling with each other. Traffic on the Baghlingampally and Himayatnagar roads came to a standstill for sometime due to the blockade by the striking staff. (NSS).