2-day Bharat Bandh has begun starting today, and more than 20 crore workers have joined the strike.
The strike is to implement the 12-pointers declared at National Convention of Workers as in September 2018, and some of these demands include minimum wages for all, pension for all employees, end of contract labor in India, universal social security and enforcement of labor laws.
10 major labor unions which have announced this Bharat Bandh are: INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, AICCTU, UTUC, TUCC, LPF and SEWA.
Here is everything you need to know:
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Buses In Bengaluru Off The Road
KSRTC and BMTC bus services in Bengaluru is expected to take a major hit, as the employee unions have lent their support to the strike. Autos in Bengaluru will be also off the road. There is no confirmation whether Uber/Ola drivers will also join the strike or not.
Public Transport in Mumbai Can Be Hit
35,000 employees of Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) have joined, and have stopped working. This means that bus services in Mumbai have been severely hit. Besides, employee unions of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), which is the state-run power distribution company, Mahagenco and Mahatransco have also joined this massive Bharat Bandh.
It is not clear as of now whether local trains in Mumbai are running or not.
Buses Stop In Kerala
Bus drivers of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation have not reported for duty, and it is expected that buses will stop in the state. Reports are coming in that trains were blocked in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
Farmers Join Bharat Bandh
A section of farmers, under Left Peasant Wings group have announced their support for the Bharat Bandh, which is called by 10 major labor unions in India.
Hannan Mollah, General Secretary of the CPI(M)-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha confirmed this as he said that farmers from all over the nation will stop trains, buses and block roads to protest against PM Modi led BJP Govt.
Banking Will Be Impacted
PSU or Public Sector Banks in India will be impacted as several bank employee unions, including All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) — and Bank Employees Federation of India have supported the strike.
This will the first major bank strike of 2019.
Strike Not To Be Supported in West Bengal
Meanwhile West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has come out strongly against this Left-inspired Bharat Bandh.
She has said that Left parties have ruined the state in the last 34 years, due to these bandhs and strike, and this won’t be encouraged. No Govt. employee has been allocated any leave to take part in the strike, and more than 500 buses have been arranged to help passengers and the public at large.
Large-scale impact of the strike has also been observed in Odisha, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. This is the 18th pan-India strike led by workers against Govt. in India.
We will keep you updated, as more details come in.