Bharat Bandh: As it happened...

The nationwide bandh called by 10 trade unions to protest against changes in labour laws and privatisation of PSUs has badly affected normal life in parts of West Bengal, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana. Financial services were hit as lakhs of bank and insurance employees across the country began a one-day strike to protest against the anti-trade union and worker policies of the central government.

New Delhi: The nationwide bandh called by 10 trade unions to protest against changes in labour laws and privatisation of PSUs has badly affected normal life in parts of West Bengal, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana. Financial services were hit on Wednesday as lakhs of bank and insurance employees across the country began a one-day strike to protest against the anti-trade union and worker policies of the central government.

02 September 2015

16:11 IST

In Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal, all state-run public buses remained off the roads. Shops and banks too were shut. The strike was particularly effective in major cities like Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain.

16:04 IST

All India Trade Union Congress general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta says the response to the country-wide strike has been unprecedented. It is sweeping and outstanding. Millions of workers from across the country have joined us.

15:10 IST

Operations at Mumbai Port Trust were completely stopped due to the national strike, but cargo handling at country's largest container port JNPT across the harbour was only partially hit as operations continued in its two private terminals.

14:23 IST

Delhi Transport and Labour Minister Gopal Rai says that the trade union strike in the national capital was organised by BJP workers to divert the attention of the people from the strike of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) strike.

14:13 IST

14:12 IST

Transport services in Mumbai remain unaffected, Suburban train services, autorickshaws and BEST city buses operating normally despite the one-day nationwide strike called by central trade unions.

14:08 IST

Members of trade unions clash with police in Kolkata.

13:27 IST

Normal life affected in Assam with railway tracks blocked at several places, private buses off the roads and banks remaining closed in response to the nationwide one-day strike called by ten central trade unions, official sources said.

12:44 IST

Observing a day-long bandh, members of AIDWA, DYFI, SFI protesters block railway track in Chennai.

12:07 IST

The day-long nationwide strike called by central trade unions affected normal life in Karnataka and Goa.

In Goa state-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd (KTCL) buses remained off the roads.

Karnataka government transport workers have joined the strike objecting to the proposed motor bill as buses and autorickshaws kept off the roads causing inconvenience to office-goers and those travelling to far-off places.

12:00 IST

Unions in State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) are not participating in the strike.

11:25 IST

The Congress launches an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, saying that it has lost its credibility and so a nationwide labour strike has been called. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari says, "Modi Government's base has fallen. Nobody is trusting him (PM Modi). Even, Soldiers, labourers, as well as farmers are not ready to trust this government. It seems he has lost the credibility."

11:04 IST

The strike called by the trade unions have affected transport and banking services in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. 18,000 buses in the two states have went off the roads.

Public sector banks are closed in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana and all cities and towns in Andhra as employees joined the strike. Coal production in state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in Telangana has also been affected.

Employees of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, HPCL, Ship Yard and other public sector undertakings have also joined the strike.

11:00 IST

Violence reported in West Bengal's Murshidabad, Howrah and North 24 Parganas. Educational institutions and commercial establishments are largely closed in Kolkata. The Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) members clash in Murshidabad. Police resorts to lathicharge to control the situation.

10:56 IST

10:31 IST

Tamil Nadu remains unfazed with the strike called by the trade unions. Buses and auto are plying as usual and schools and colleges too continue to function normally.

10:19 IST

Congress leader PC Chacko says as the labour laws passed by the progressive democratic governments in past are going to be changed and diluted by the present BJP-led central government, the trade unions are facing serious situation.

Slamming the Modi government, PC Chacko further says, all acts which were protecting labourers of this country are going to be diluted in favour of industrial lobby.

10:17 IST

Trade unions supporters block railway track in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.

10:12 IST

While speaking to news agency IANS, All India Bank Employees' Association (AIEBA) general secretary CH Venkatachalam says, "The strike has started on an encouraging note across the country as per initial information we got. Employees of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), nationalised banks, old private sector banks, cooperative banks, regional rural banks are participating in the strike."

10:02 IST

Commenting on the strike, AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta terms the bandh as wonderful and splendid. He also says that the strike is effective throughout the country.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Dasgupta says people are dissatisfied with anti-worker policy of the NDA government.

09:59 IST

The strike has hit Kerala hard as public buses go off roads and shops and banks remain shut. 17 trade unions are taking part in the nation-wide strike to protest the anti-labour, anti-people policies of the central government.

09:54 IST

Shutdown cripples life in Himachal Pradesh as over 2,000 state roadways buses went off road. The impact of the shutdown is more in major towns like Shimla, Rampur, Theog, Solan, Mandi, Nahan, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Dharamsala, Palampur, Kangra, Kullu and Manali as private bus operators also join the protest.

09:51 IST

Normal life partially affected in West Bengal following the country-wide general strike called by 10 central trade unions against the policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

Though, train services of South Eastern railway are normal, Eastern railway officials say suburban services in the Sealdah south section were hit for sometime in the morning due to blockade at some places.

09:50 IST

 Trade unions across Mumbai, Kolkata, Kanpur, Jaipur and in Kerala go ahead with their one-day nationwide strike, even as the government appealed to them for calling off the agitation.

09:40 IST

While appealing to the trade unions to call off strike, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya says most of the demands raised by them are agreeable.

09:24 IST

With trade unions observing a nationwide strike, many autos in Delhi stay away from roads.

A minor incident of clash between striking and non-striking auto drivers reported from the national capital.

09:17 IST

In Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow trade unions observe nation-wide strike over NDA's proposed changes in Labor laws. Bus services have been hit.

09:16 IST

The one-day nationwide strike has been called by the trade unions to protest against proposed labour reforms.

The trade unions have accused the NDA government of ignoring the rights of informal sector workers. The Bandh will cover all public and private sectors.

The trade unions have given this strike call over a 12-points charter of demands, including withdrawal of the proposed anti-worker amendments in labour laws and stopping the disinvestment and privatisation of PSUs.

These ten unions claim a combined membership of 15 crore workers in public as well as private sector enterprises including banks and insurance companies and they have decided to go ahead with the strike after their talks with a group of senior ministers earlier this month failed to yield desired results.