Explore Business Standard
Associate Sponsors
Co-sponsor
Strikes
Employees and workers associated with a joint forum of central trade unions held protests in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Thursday against the Centre's labour reforms and economic policies. Calling the Centre's policies "pro-corporate", the union representatives held an agitation at Chandigarh's Sector 17 and raised slogans against the Union government. They were holding placards mentioning "We reject labour codes" and "We oppose anti-labour codes". In Ludhiana, the Punjab Bank Employees' Federation (PBEF) organised a massive rally at the Bharat Nagar Chowk. Demonstrations were also held at many places in Haryana, including Sonipat, Rohtak and Hisar. However, banks and roadways buses functioned normally at most places in the state. The president of All India State Government Employees Federation, Subhash Lamba, claimed a "very good response" after workers associated with the forum held a protest at various places. In the industrial sector, several workers in Manesar, Gurugra
Bank employees' unions under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) have threatened to go on a nationwide strike on January 27, demanding implementation of a 5-day week. If the strike materialises, it would have a significant impact primarily on the operations of public sector banks for three days in a row, as January 25 and 26 are holidays. At present, bank employees get off on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, apart from Sundays. Declaring the remaining two Saturdays as holidays was agreed between the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and UFBU during the wage revision settlement in March, 2024. "It is unfortunate that the government is not responding to our genuine demand. There would be no loss of man-hours because we have agreed to an extra 40 minutes working per day from Monday to Friday," UFBU said in a statement. Already, RBI, LIC, GIC, etc., are working for 5 days a week, it said, adding that the foreign exchange market, money market, stock exchanges
Strikes and street demonstrations called by all major trade unions to denounce budget cuts were expected Thursday across France, as new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu talks with political opponents about curbing France's massive deficit and debt. Unions are urging Lecornu to abandon draft budget measures proposed by his predecessor, which include social welfare freezes and austerity measures that many say will further erode the purchasing power of low-paid and middle-class workers. In a joint statement issued before the change of prime minister last week, unions described such measures as unprecedented brutality, regretting that previous government had "chosen to make workers, those in precarious employment, retirees, and the sick pay the price. Unions also continue to denounce President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform that raised the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. Outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Wednesday he expects a very strong mobilization in the ...
Israeli drone strikes on a southern suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus killed eight soldiers and wounded others, officials and a war monitor reported Wednesday. Syria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that drone strikes Tuesday in the southern Damascus suburb of Kiswah killed eight soldiers. It called the attack a grave violation of international law and clear breach of (Syria's) sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also comes in the context of the repeated aggressive policies pursued by the Israeli occupation aimed at undermining security and stability in the region, the statement said. The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes. Late Wednesday evening, Syrian state news agency SANA reported more Israeli strikes and an airdrop commando raid in the area, the details of which are not known. SANA reported that the initial strikes on Tuesday had targeted soldiers who, while on patrol, discovered surveillance and eavesdropping devices." Ongoing strikes prevented
More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike after a deadline to reach a deal passed, the union confirmed early Saturday. Canadian Union of Public Employees spokesman Hugh Pouliot confirmed the strike has started after no deal was reached. Air Canada has said all flights will be cancelled for the duration of the work stoppage. Canada's largest airline has already cancelled more than 620 flights, leaving travellers around the world stranded and scrambling during the peak summer travel season. A bitter contract fight between Canada's largest airline and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants escalated Friday as the union turned down the airline's request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which would eliminate its right to strike and allow a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.
Israel struck tents outside two major hospitals in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least two people, including a local reporter, and wounding another nine, including six reporters, medics said Monday. Fifteen others were killed in separate strikes across the territory, according to hospitals. A strike on a media tent outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis at around 2 a.m. set the tent ablaze, killing Yousef al-Faqawi, a reporter for the Palestine Today TV station, and another man, according to the hospital. The six reporters were wounded in that strike. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas militant, without providing further information. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because it is deeply embedded in residential areas. Israel also struck tents on the edge of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, wounding three people, according to the hospital. Nasser Hospital said it received another 13
New York fired more than 2,000 prison guards Monday for failing to return to work after a weekslong wildcat strike that crippled the state's correctional system, but said enough officers had come back on the job to declare the illegal work stoppage over. After 22 days of an illegal strike, the governor and I are happy to report it is now ended, Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said during a virtual press briefing. The state and the guards' union struck a new deal to end the strike this weekend, but it was contingent on at least 85% of staff returning to work by Monday morning. Although the number fell short of the 85% goal needed to trigger the agreement, Martuscello said the state would honor the deal's overtime and some other provisions. He said the National Guard would remain in place at prisons in a support position while the department undertakes an aggressive recruiting campaign to attract additional employees. About 10,000 security staff are available to work in prisons across
The State Food Commission on Saturday warned of legal action against ration traders on their proposed indefinite strike in Kerala from January 27. Legal action will be taken against anyone obstructing ration cardholders from receiving their entitled share of food grains, according to an official release issued by the Commission. "It is the responsibility of the State Food Commission to ensure that the food rights guaranteed under Section 16 (6) (b) of Chapter II of the National Food Security Act, 2013, are upheld and made available to consumers through the public distribution system." "The Commission will take a serious view of any act that disrupts the delivery of food grains to ration cardholders and will initiate legal proceedings against those responsible," the release stated. The Ration Traders Coordination Committee announced the indefinite strike starting January 27 after talks with Finance Minister K N Balagopal and Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil failed to resolv
An airstrike targeting an armed group in northwestern Nigeria mistakenly killed at least 10 civilians, the West African nation's military said Friday. The villagers were killed on Christmas Day when the air force targeted a logistics base of the Lakurawa insurgent group in the Silame area of Sokoto state, Edward Buba, Nigerian defense spokesperson, told journalists at a press conference. On Thursday, the Sokoto state government said the air force mistakenly shelled the villagers in the early hours of Wednesday in an attempt to dislodge the insurgents from the area. However, on Friday, Buba said only that the Lakurawa insurgents were directly hit by munitions and that the civilians died from secondary explosions. The Lakurawa insurgent group began infiltrating Africa's most populous country following a wave of coups that disrupted Nigeria's relations with neighbouring Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, hurting their ability to cooperate on transnational threats. Initially gaining local
Unionised factory workers at Boeing are voting Monday whether to accept a contract offer or to continue their strike, which has lasted more than seven weeks and shut down production of most Boeing passenger planes. A vote to ratify the contract would clear the way for the aerospace giant to resume airplane production and bring in much-needed cash. If members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers vote for a third time to reject Boeing's offer, it would plunge the company into further financial peril and uncertainty. In its latest proposed contract, Boeing is offering pay raises of 38% over four years, as well as ratification and productivity bonuses. IAM District 751, which represents Boeing workers in the Pacific Northwest, endorsed the proposal, which is slightly more generous than one the machinists voted down nearly two weeks ago. It is time for our members to lock in these gains and confidently declare victory," the union district said in schedulin