Kolkata Community Portal || Kolkata Community Portal - News, Reviews, Comments & Discussion

Strike Issue: Subhas Backs CITU Attack On IT, Basu Cites Ruleboo

By Unregistered Visitors, Section News
Posted on Sat Nov 11, 2006 at 05:29:27 AM EST

Once scorned within CPI(M) for his close ties with businessmen, Subhas Chakraborty today lent unexpected support to CITU by saying the IT sector, too, should be part of the proposed December 14 all-India strike called by Left unions.

The state's maverick transport minister added fuel to the raging debate over the "public utility" umbrella over the state's Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITES) by asserting that he considered rickshaw-pullers, thela-wallahs and coolies as essential. "If they can take part in the strike, why should the IT sector be exempted?" he asked.

Interestingly, Chakraborty's statement came on a day his mentor, former chief minister Jyoti Basu, reiterated that the IT sector should be considered an "emergency" service, and thereby kept outside the purview of strike calls issued by trade unions.

Basu, emerging from the CPI(M) secretariat's weekly meeting at the party's Alimuddin Street headquarters, said, "The IT sector should be considered as emergency services."

Click on "Full Story for more...

For CITU, the CPI(M)-affiliated labour union, Chakraborty's support however bears little import. First, the minister has no important post in the party hierarchy and is seen as having survived in the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee cabinet on Basu's goodwill.

Second, Basu himself is backing his successor against CITU's threat to paralyse the IT sector as well during the December 14 all-India strike, called by all Left trade unions.

On Friday, Chakraborty told reporters at Writers' Buildings that he did not consider IT to be an essential service. "I think rickshaw-wallahs, thela-wallahs, coolies and labourers are essential services since they lose one day's wage if there is a bandh," he said.

Basu, on the other hand, said, "I know that CITU is talking to employees in the (IT) sector to see if they want to take part in the strike. But if they plan a strike in this sector, they have to follow the rules."

Meanwhile, CPI(M) sources said CITU leaders are now trying to explore a face-saving alternative through which some non-essential wings take part in the strike.

While unions can call a strike in a public utility, they cannot touch core operations like power generation and distribution, the sources said.

From: TIE, NOV-11,06

< India improves ranking but still way down in the Human Development Index. | Microcredit Makes Mega Business Sense >