-The Indian Express   For once, Mamata does the right thing — by laying down work rules for her Employees Mamata Banerjee’s politics, in a word, could be called “populist”, in the absence of a well-formulated and well-enunciated agenda. In her last years in opposition, and now as chief minister of West Bengal, Banerjee has steadily positioned herself as “more left than the Left”. The Luddite politics of Singur, her stint as the...

Opposing the West Bengal government's proposal to do away with the right to strike of its Employees, major Central trade unions have decided to support the government Employees' unions in their agitation for protection of their rights. Describing the comments of State Labour Minister Purnendu Basu as unfortunate, Gurudas Dasgupta, general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and MP of the Communist party of India (CPI), said the right...

-The Times of India   It will be illegal for government Employees in the state to go on strike or hold rallies if chief minister Mamata Banerjee has her way.  In a decision that has sent ripples down both camps, the government wants to take away the Employees ' right to association, leave aside strike, that the Left Front government had bestowed upon them.  The bold step - once approved by the Cabinet -...

The culture of cholchhe, cholbe is very much alive and kicking. Most of the 18 departments that were asked by the state home department to submit a list of their Employees in the Maoist-affected Jungle Mahal area by December 10 have failed to do so. The list was sought to draw up a central incentive scheme for Employees working in such sensitive zones. Officials at Writers’ Buildings said that so far, only...

-The Indian Express   The West Bengal government announced Tuesday that it had decided to withdraw the trade union rights of its Employees. The announcement, made at the secretariat by the labour minister, triggered outrage among state government staff. Minister Purnendu Bose said the government would withdraw a clause in the service rules, introduced by the LF government in 1981, giving full trade union rights to state government staff. Withdrawal of the amendment will...