Insurance staff on a 2-day strike

Public sector general insurance employees across the country began a two-day strike on Wednesday demanding wage revision, pending since Aug 2002 and resumption of promotion exercise, which was stopped last year.

"There is a massive response for the strike. Most of the branches of the public sector general insurance companies have not opened," J Gurumurthy, secretary, All India Insurance Employees Association, said.

All the five recognised trade unions -- All India Insurance Employees Association, General Insurance Employees, All India Association, National Federation of General Insurance Employees (representing Class III and IV employees),

National Confederation of General Insurance Officers Association and General Insurance Officers All India Association (representing Class I officers) have given the call for the strike.

In Chennai, where United India Insurance is head quartered, only the CMD and the general managers turned up for duty on Wednesday while most of the branches remain closed.

General insurance employees of all the four public sector companies - National Insurance, New India Assurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance are participating in the strike.

"Effectively, this is a five-day strike, considering the holidays on Good Friday and Saturday and Sunday," Gurumurthy said. The employees also held a demonstration outside the United India Insurance Co Ltd's head office in Chennai.

Insurance staff seek PM's help

Employees of public sector general insurance companies, who began their two-day strike on Wednesday demanding pay revision, have sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to address their grievances.

"We will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday and submit a memorandum listing the demands of general insurance employees," General Insurance Employees' All India Association president Gurudas Dasgupta said.

If the Prime Minister does not intervene, the employees will go on a prolonged strike, he said.

Dasgupta claimed today's strike was a success as operations in all the four public sector general insurance companies -- National Insurance, Oriental Insurance, United India Insurance and New India Assurance -- came to a halt.

The general insurance employees are demanding wage revision due from August 1, 2002, formation of a monolithic general insurance corporation. Besides, they are protesting outsourcing and FDI in the insurance sector.

Dasgupta alleged Finance Minister P Chidambaram had kept hanging a bipartite settlement over wage revision for months.

Pointing out that his communication to the Finance Minister over the issue did not bear any fruit, he said the onus of any loss due to the strike will be on the government.