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Bank unions back Balco workers

BS Correspondent

Beleaguered workers of Bharat Aluminium Company Limited have moral and financial support coming from unusual quarters. Two powerful bank unions, the All India Bank Employees' Association and the All India Bank Officers' Association have decided contribute Rs 100,000 for the "Balco cause".

The AIBEA has already pledged Rs 15,000 while the rest will be raised and handed over to the workmen' union, disclosed general secretary of AIBEA, Tarakeswar Chakraborti in Nagpur. He said if there is any further strike on the Balco issue the two unions will join it and support the workers. "Whether it is on the state or national level our members will support it," he said.

Chakraborti sees the Balco strike as the most important strike against privatisation. He was however cautious about commenting on the role of the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi in the Balco crisis.

"This is a new experiment. Even when Jyoti Basu was vice president of CITU he avoided coming in front but guided the union in taking up cudgels against industrial barons," he said.

Chakraborti said the manner in which the central government disposed Balco left many questions unanswered. "When the landed property is being valued at Rs 25 billion why hand over 51 per cent stake at a mere Rs 5.51 billion," he said adding that there was more to the issue than meets the eye.

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