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Our Bureau

`IT, ITES not in the list of essential services'

Kolkata , Dec. 12

The Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has declined to exempt the IT and ITES sector from the 24-hour industrial strike called by it on December 14.

Addressing a news conference here today, the State President of CITU, Mr Shyamal Chakraborty, said the IT and ITES sector was not in the list of essential services that was exempt from the industrial strike. However, CITU would not enforce the strike on those working in the sector, he said, and added that if employees in the IT and ITES were in agreement with CITU's views on contemporary issues, they were welcome to join the industrial strike.

Asked if he felt the sector deserved essential service status, Mr Chakraborty said if CITU had thought so, the sector would have been exempted from the purview of the strike.

`No picketing'

Meanwhile, speaking to presspersons at Writers' Buildings, the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said no picketing by outsiders would be allowed in Sector V of the Salt lake Electronics Complex, the State's IT hub. The administration would take all steps to ensure that the mobility of employees in the sector was not disrupted. Those who wished to stay back the night at their offices could do so, he added.

In an earlier bandh called by the Trinamool Congress on October 9, to protest the acquisition of farmland in Singur for the Tata small car project, it was business as usual for the IT and ITES sector.

The companies in the Salt Lake complex functioned normally, albeit with heavy police deployment for maintenance of law and order.

Call centres contacted by Business Line said they recorded 100 per cent attendance. In some call centers, a section of the staff stayed back overnight, while those who were in the 6 a.m. shift came in by 5.30 a.m.

"It is this Government which will still be at the helm and our response to the IT sector's needs will be the same," Mr Bhattacharjee had said then, when asked if the IT sector would be allowed to function as normally on December 14.

More Stories on : Trade & Labour Unions | IT-enabled Services | West Bengal

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