Strike near total in AP

The response to the all-India strike call against the Supreme Court's ruling on the 'right to strike' and also against privatisation was near total in the state with nearly 9.5 lakh employees of state government and public sector undertakings abstaining from work.

Several government buildings, including the state secretariat in Hyderabad, wore a deserted look as no employee was allowed to work by the striking unions.

The banks and insurance establishments also remained closed as almost all the banking and insurance associations took part in the strike.

Public transport systems were affected with reports indicating that nearly half of the 1.2 lakh APSRTC employees also participating in the strike.

Around 25,000 employees of state public sector undertakings "" which include the AP Housing board, Housing Corporation, APIIC, Civil Supplies Corporation, State Financial Corporation, Girijan Corporation among others "" have fully participated in the strike, according to AP Public Sector Employees Federation.

The joint action committees of the state government employees associations, teachers unions and the trade unions have spearheaded the strike.

S Venkateshwar Reddy, general secretary AP Regional Rural Bank Employees Association, has claimed that more than 5,000 officers and employees working in 16 Grameen Banks (regional rural banks) in the state took part in the general strike.

According to the All India Bank Officers' Confederation, more than 22,000 officers and 50,000 employees from the financial, banking and insurance sector including the RBI took part in the strike on Tuesday.

According to reports, employees of several defence organisations in and around Hyderabad, including the Defence Research and Development Organisation have participated in the strike. But the strike call evoked no response in the BHEL, where INTUC is the recognised union.

Engineers and employees associations of APTransco also stayed away from the strike.

Also in Visakhapatnam, production was not affected in public sector units like Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation's Vizag Refinery and Hindustan Shipyard.

However, in Visakhapatnam Port, nearly 40 per cent of workers participated in the strike due to which cargo handling activities were affected.