Bharat Bandh today and tomorrow: Banking, transport to get affected

• Image Credit: Internet

• Mar 28, 2022 | Deleted

Reduced interest rates on Employees' Provident Fund Organization and growing gasoline prices are two of the causes for the Bharat Bandh call.

1. A combined forum of key trade unions has called for a nationwide strike on March 28 and 29, to protest government policies that impact workers, farmers, and the general public.


2. On March 22, 2022, the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions met in Delhi to assess preparations in various states and sectors for the proposed two-day all-India strike on March 28-29, 2022, against the central government's "anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people, and anti-national policies," according to a statement.


3. According to the statement, despite the approaching threat of ESMA, road workers, transportation employees, and electrical workers have opted to join the strike (Haryana and Chandigarh, respectively).


4. Financial sectors, including banking and insurance, are joining the strike, it stated.


5. Unions in industries such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks, and insurance have also issued strike notices, according to the report.


6. The railway and defence unions will mobilise in favour of the strike in hundreds of locations, according to the statement.


7. The country's largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), has stated that the strike may have an impact on financial services. "We advise that, while the bank has taken essential provisions to guarantee regular operating in its branches and offices on strike days," SBI noted in a regulatory filing, "work in our bank may be hampered to a limited extent by the strike."


8. The strike has been announced in response to the government's plan to privatise public sector banks and the Banking Laws Amendment Bill 2021.


9. The West Bengal administration said on Saturday that all offices will be open on certain days and that staff must report for duty.


10. The INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, and UTUC are among the central trade unions represented in this joint forum.