New Delhi, Feb 24: Services in public sector banking and insurance sector were seriously hampered today following the strike by left-affiliated trade unions demanding wage revision and protesting the Supreme Court order on right to strike by government servants. Normal life in West Bengal and Kerala was seriously affected due to the strike, even as BJP-affiliated BMS and Congress-supported INTUC kept out of the agitation. Most of the PSUs including those in power, petroleum, railways and airline functioned normally as the employees did not participate in the strike. Reserve Bank operations in Delhi and Mumbai were partially affected. The strike, which seeks Government intervention to negate the impact of the apex Court's observation on right to strike, is also in protest against the `anti-labour' policies and privatisation policies of the Centre.
Major trade unions like CITU, AITUC, AICCTU, TUCC, UTUC and UTUC (LS), along with unions representing the employees in RBI, PSU banks, rural and cooperative banks and defence establishments were taking part in the agitation. Of the ten unions in the banking sector, six were taking part, while of the five unions in the insurance segment, three had joined the agitation. Co-ordinator of All India Coordination Committee of Unions in Finance Sector (AICCUFS), Shantha Raju claimed 15 lakh employees in the sector were participating. All India Defence Employees Federation claimed more than two lakh employees working in 39 ordnance factories, Defence Research and Development Organisation, MES, army, navy and airforce were taking part in the strike. Bureau Report