india - striking against strike ban
WORKERS, APRIL 2004 ISSUE
Over 50 million workers in India supported a one-day general strike on 24 February, called by five trade union federations and congresses. The action came in response to the attempt by India's Supreme Court to outlaw the right to strike in protest against the government's economic policies, following a strike in Tamil Nadu where the state government sacked 176,000 workers, then forced them to sign no-strike pledges as a condition of returning to work.
Steel, rail, aviation, banking and insurance industries were all severely disrupted. Strikers ranged from coal miners to public sector workers and from banking and financial workers to plantation workers. In many states the stoppage was total, with government employees and teachers also striking. Calcutta was at a standstill, with no public transport at all.