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Bengal

Mamata extends solidarity to Central govt employees in Bengal facing dire straits

Kolkata: Extending solidarity to the Central government employees in Bengal who are staring at an uncertain future with the Centre deciding to privatise a number of companies apart from disinvestment of a number of PSUs, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that a convention will be held on September 23 to give a hearing to the suffering of Central government employees.

"Members of bank unions, Air India officials and employees from other Central government organisations have come and met me. The fear of losing jobs looms large on these employees. They have launched movement against such decisions of the Central government. They are our brothers and sisters and so I extend solidarity to them. We will hold a meeting with the Central government employees on September 23 at this venue," Banerjee said, while addressing an organisational meeting of the state government employees at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

She was also vocal against the Centre's recent decision of the merger of a number of banks, with two of them, namely Allahabad Bank and United Bank of India, having their headquarters in Kolkata.

"They (the bank union) have already called a strike nationwide to protest against the Centre's decision," the Chief Minister added.

It may be mentioned that a week ago, she had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, protesting against the Centre's unilateral decision to merge two public sector banks headquartered in the city, without consulting the state government.

She had expressed her concern over the future of thousands of employees of the two banks in her letter.

"70,000 employees of BSNL have not been getting their salaries for the last six months. They (Centre) are constantly engaging in phone tapping but BSNL employees are suffering. They are also corporatising the Ordnance Factory Board, which has its headquarters in Kolkata. I

urge my senior party leaders to organise a convention involving the suffering Central government employees of the state," the Chief Minister added.

Banerjee had written to Modi on July 23, urging him to stall and reverse the process of corporatising ordnance factories in the interest of national security and the country's defence.

The Chief Minister further expressed her concern over the Centre's decision of disinvestment of 43 PSUs across the country that include Burns Standard and Bengal Chemicals in the state. "I will stand by

them and extend my support," she asserted.

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