Citu, the trade union wing of the CPI(M), “finally succumbed” to the Mamata Banerjee government’s threat and called off their July 31 transport strike after a meeting on Sunday. The state government welcomed the decision. Citu had called this strike to press for their demand for subsidy from the state government to offset the recent fuel price hike.
Citu state president Shyamal Chakraborty said, “The state Left Front will hold protest demonstrations in Kolkata on issues like price rise of essential commodities, petrol and diesel among others from August 1 to 3. On August 2, trade unions will also join in this demonstration against the rise in petrol, diesel prices in our state. In this circumstance, Left Front chairman Biman Bose requested us to defer the strike and we agreed to it. But we will hold a protest demonstration on July 31 at Rani Rasmoni Avenue before submitting a deputation to the governor.”
The joint council of bus syndicates and Bengal bus syndicate on Saturday had called off their bus strike on July 31 which had come as a major setback to the Citu. Even the trade union arms of the CPI and RSP had decided not to join the strike, protesting the unilateral decision of the Citu.
On being asked whether the decision to defer the strike was linked to these developments, Mr Chakraborty replied: “It is not an issue of the Left Front. I must also say that the trade unions neither have any Left Front nor any co-ordination committee. We had called the strike as a programme to demand for the state government’s subsidy on petrol and diesel prices. The bus owners’ demand was to increase the fares. Hence, no one’s issues were inter-linked.”
President of the Citu-backed West Bengal Road Transport Workers’ Union, which had called the strike on July 31, Subhas Mukherjee also reasoned that since the issue had been taken up by the LF, the strike was deferred. “We didn’t succumb to the government’s threat. Our strike on February 28 was totally successful, notwithstanding the government’s threat to foil it,” Mr Chakraborty claimed.