Hundreds of thousands of Indian public employees strike

INDIA: Hundreds of thousands of state bank, insurance, port and transport employees were on strike across India Thursday to protest privatisation plans and to demand new labour laws.

A senior official of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, one of the principal organisers of the strike, said he expected the total number of strikers to number in the millions. Banking and insurance were particularly hard hit.

"Around 600,000 workers from state-run banks as well as private banks, and 80,000 insurance workers will be on strike," said C.H. Venkatachalam, general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association.

"We are protesting attempts to privatise state-run companies and the move to allow foreign direct investment in banks," Venkatachalam told AFP. The government also plans to allow foreign banks to set up wholly-owned units or to buy stakes in private domestic lenders.

Privatisation and outsourcing will lead to job losses, bank unions say.

NEW DELHI, Friday, AFP