Class Three and Four Employees of the Life Insurance Corporation of India struck work to protest against the ordinance that proposes to streamline the LIC’s wage structure. In many cities and towns, LIC employees held rallies against the ordinance which was described as calculated aggression against their hard won rights. The two-day strike call was given by the All India National Life Insurance Employees Federation. Affiliated unions of the LIC employees claimed that the strike throughout the country was total. Meanwhile employees of the General Insurance Company have come out strongly in support of their LIC colleagues. Besides protesting during the lunch hour, they also observed a one hour strike against the ordinance.
Few takers for bonds
With the Union Budget around the corner, the bearer bonds that were launched on February 2 to tap black money have found few takers. In Delhi, at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) window no 55 — reserved for selling the “black bonds” — there was scarcely any queue. Reports from Bombay said hardly 50 people turned up at the RBI there. The total sales through the RBI and the over 100 branches of the SBI was less than Rs 1 crore.
Rail track security
In a determined effort to maintain train services unaffected by the absenteeism of a section of locomen, the railways has ordered armed patrolling of tracks and posted escorts on passenger and goods trains in areas affected by the agitation. Summary dismissals and arrests continued on the fifth day of the agitation.
Reddy sick of politics
President N Sanjiva Reddy has announced that this will be his last term in office, after the completion of which he will retire from politics as he “is sick of it now”. “I will retire to my village and be a simple peasant,” he said.
