Bharat bandh: Strike by trade unions may affect normal life in parts of Karnataka

Bengaluru: Normal life is likely to get affected on Tuesday in several parts of Karnataka in view of a two-day nationwide strike (Bharat Bandh) called by central trade unions against the alleged 'repressive' policies for workers by the Narendra Modi government.

According to reports, buses and autos will stay off roads on Tuesday, aggravating problems for hundreds of daily commuters.

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and BMTC buses and private autorickshaws will not ply on Tuesday. Banking services across the state are likely to be affected in view of the bandh. 

However, the metro service in Bengaluru, as also auto and taxi service, are likely to function as usual.

Hotels, malls and film theaters are also likely to function as usual, with their unions extending "moral" support to the strike. Bank services are likely to be disrupted.

District administrations have been given the authority to declare a holiday for schools and colleges depending on the situation there, officials said. Some universities have deferred the examinations.

Members of the All-India Trade Union Congress have said that they will hold demonstrations at Jigani, Bommasandra, Whitefield, Peenya and Doddaballapura.

The AITUC members will also stage a procession from Town Hall to Freedom Park beginning around Tuesday noon, said reports. 

The trade bodies have claimed that the 48-hour-long nationwide general strike on January 8-9 will be a 'historic event'. 

The strike has been called by ten major trade unions, including the All India Trade Union Congress, CITU, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), SEWA and LPF.

The decision to organise a two-day general strike from January 8 was taken in the National Convention of Workers held on September 28, 2018.

Employees in major sectors such as the Railways, banks and electricity departments as well as those in the unorganised sector, including street vendors and auto and taxi drivers, are expected to be part of the 48-hour strike.

The failure to fulfill the promise of creating over 1 crore jobs a year has been an important reason cited by the trade unions for organising the strike against the Modi government. According to Labour Bureau statistics, 1.55 lakh jobs and 2.31 lakh jobs were created in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Another major reason cited by the trade unions is the rise in prices of various daily use commodities. 

(With inputs from agencies)