[lbo-talk] Fwd: India: Privatisation strike

[joanna bujes]

>Indians in privatisation strike
>
>BBC NEWS - Wednesday, 21 May, 2003,
>
>Millions of workers in India have held a nationwide strike in
>protest at government plans to privatise state-owned businesses.
>
>The one-day stoppage severely affected the banking, transport,
>insurance and mining sectors, and brought Calcutta to a virtual
>standstill as protesters marched through the streets.
>
>Public transport, including the Calcutta underground ground to
>halt, while attendance at government offices was very poor.
>
>The strike was called by trade unions including the All India
>Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre for Indian Trade Unions
>(CITU) and the Hind Mazdoor Sabha, who claimed about 40 million
>workers were participating in the walk-out.
>
>They are calling for a halt to the government's ongoing
>privatisation and plans to change labour laws.
>
>Job losses
>
>The strike is being described as the biggest show of discontent
>in recent times against the central government's economic
>policies.
>
>The government may not want to annoy the trade unions in the run
>up to the national elections next year
>Sanjeev Svirastava, BBC reporter in Delhi
>The government's privatisation plans aim to raise 132 billion
>rupees ($2.75bn) by selling off state-run companies in the year
>ending March 2004.
>
>But protesters claim this is leading to widescale job losses.
>They are also angry at plans to allow state-run companies to fire
>workers and reduce deposit rates for pension funds.
>
>"We want a complete halt to privatisation and other economic
>policies that favour only the rich," said Swadesh Dev Roye,
>leader of the National United Forum, an umbrella group of labour
>unions in state-run oil companies.
>
>National standstill
>
>The strike almost crippled the financial sector, with four out of
>the nine major banking unions taking part and the Calcutta stock
>exchange was shut.
>
>Movement and handling of goods in most of the country's ports
>also came to a standstill.
>
>Rail and air transport were disrupted and Calcutta's normally
>crowded roads were empty except for children playing and some
>police vehicles.
>
>Train services in both Eastern and South Eastern railway were hit
>as protesters blocked railway tracks in various places, leaving
>many tourists, amongst others, stranded.
>
>The strike's impact was most felt in areas where the left-wing
>parties are either in government, like West Bengal, or have a
>substantial following such as the southern states of Andra
>Pradesh and Kerala, said the BBC's Sanjeev Srivastava in Delhi.
>
>Government stalled?
>
>He said the government was unlikely to give in to demands
>immediately but that the strike could slow down reforms.
>
>The government may not want to annoy the trade unions in the run
>up to national elections next year, he said.
>
>The government has said labour reforms are needed to allow Indian
>industry to compete with countries such as China.
>
>And it claims privatisation is needed to bridge its increasing
>fiscal deficit.
>
>But plans to sell national oil firms have been strongly rejected
>by key ministers including defence minister George Fernandes and
>petroleum minister Ram Naik.
>
>Article:
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/3045713.stm