Bharat Bandh Live News: Hours after a division bench of the Kerala High Court directed the state government to issue orders forthwith to prevent government servants from engaging in the 48-hour general strike, the government declared that unauthorised absence of employees participating in the strike would be treated as ‘dies non’. The order comes as a setback to the trade unions affiliated to the ruling CPI(M) as well as Opposition Congress, which have actively taken part in the first day of the general strike called against the policies of the Centre.
Offices across Kerala reported only thin attendance on Monday and all educational institutions remained closed. In West Bengal, supporters of the two-day nationwide strike Monday put up rail and road blockades in various places. Left workers were seen blocking railway tracks in Jadavpur, Dum Dum, Barasat, Shyamnagar, Belgharia, Joynagar, Domjur, and other places to protest against the Centre’s policies. The police later lifted the blockades to resume rail services.
A joint forum of central trade unions, supported by the All India Bank Employees Association, has called for a nationwide strike today (March 28) and tomorrow (March 29) against the Central government’s policies affecting workers, farmers, and people in general. The decision comes following a meeting on March 22 where the trade unions said that they would protest against the Centre’s “anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national policies”. The bank unions are participating to protest against the government’s plan to privatise public sector banks, as well as the Banking Laws Amendment Bill 2021.
