The nationwide trade union strike crippled postal, banking and insurance sector in the city and its outskirts making loss to the tune of nearly Rs400 crore. Though trade union sponsored strike call (except BMS backed unions) did not have much impact in the industrial sector either in the ancillary hub of Adityapur and Gamharia in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan or in steel city as both large and small scale industries functioned normally except a miniscule number of SSI units shutting down due to labour strike.
Operations of state-owned banks across the city were badly affected. Work in all most all the public sector’s banks and insurance offices remained shut in favour of the demands. In some places employees staged demonstration near the bank premises and raised slogans in favour of their demands.
Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) said that the impact of the daylong strike was minimised as most of the traders have opted for online banking.
General secretary of Adityapur Small Industries Association (ASIA), Santosh Khaitan said that due to the trade union strike with workers not reporting to work production was hampered in several units. According to information all the 150 branches of private and nationalised banks (except State Bank of India branches) were closed down in the city as part of the strike.
The banking officials said that cash transaction and clearing worth Rs 150 crore could not take place due to the strike. Officials of Insurance Employees Association, Jamshedpur division said that financial transaction of Rs100 crore was affected due to the strike in the insurance sector.
The bank union leaders blamed the Union government for following what they called ‘anti-employee’ policies. They said that the public sector banks are capable enough to compete with the private banks but still the government is favouring the disinvestment. “The strike should serve as a warning to the Central Government that has taken up certain policy decisions without assessing their negative impact on the working class. Privatisation should be immediately dropped to save the future,” said Abhir Das senior functionary of AIBEA.