'Strike in PSUs total'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 2. Work in over 240 Central public sector undertakings was adversely hit, following the one-day strike by their employees today.

Besides boycotting work the agitating workers organised dharnas, marches and demonstrations to press for their demands. They also give vent to their opposition to privatisation and enhancement of period of a wage settlement from five to 10 years.

There were conflicting versions available about the impact of the strike which was supported by a majority of the central trade unions, including the INTUC, CITU and the HMS. Though they supported the demands, the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and the Pro-BJP Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and another union did not join the strike. Their reason for boycotting the strike was that they were not signatories to the strike call given on January 7 and that the Government was ready to negotiate. The trade unions supporting the strike claimed that the response was overwhelming, and warned the Government that they would intensify their struggle by going in for a nation-wide indefinite strike in case it failed to resolve the issues quickly.

Mr. M. K. Pandhe of the CITU and other trade union leaders during a media briefing said that nearly 75 per cent of the 2.5 million work force of the CPSUs participated in the strike. The strike was joined by employees owing allegiance to those unions which did not support it because the demands found favour with them. Similarly, the officers' associations also supported the strike.

The strike, they said, was complete in the Neyveli Lignite, Salem Steel, Hindustan Teleprinters, Hindustan Photo- films, Madras Fertilisers, Balmer Lawrie, Richardson Cruddas, Andrew Yule, BHEL and Bharat Electronics in Tamil Nadu, IDPL, BEL, HSCL, Vizag Steel and Singareni Colliery in Andhra Pradesh.

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