ATMs were non-functional through the day while cellphone services suffered for three hours as contractual workers observed the strike to press their demands that include abolition of contract system.

More than 1,000 ATMs of nationalised and private banks remained closed for the day. The CITU did not even allow the ATMs near the hospitals including SSKM, Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and Ruby General Hospital to open.

In a first, CITU also ordered disabling of mobile services for three hours — from 11am to 2 pm.

“People will not die if they do not speak over mobile phones for a few hours. We did not put any restriction on the use of land phones. Earlier, when there were no mobile phones, people used land phones. Why are they facing a problem now? As far as the ATMs are concerned, the banks are open and people can withdraw money from banks as they used to do earlier,” said CITU state secretary Kali Ghosh.

“About 40 per cent of the total Indian workforce is employed in Central and state government enterprises, unorganised and corporate sectors as contract workers. They are deprived of benefits the permanent employees get,” Ghosh said.

“For a long time, we have been asking the Central and state governments to identify and monitor suitable schemes for the benefit of various sections of unorganised workers and protect their social securities. But, they did not take any initiative. Today, our strike caused inconvenience to people. We expect now that the people and the government realise what trouble the contractual labourers are facing. More than 25 lakh contractual labourers joined us,” he said, adding these workers form the backbone of the industry.

“Though there is a law for the protection of contractual labours, violations are increasing day by day and there is no job security for them,” Ghosh said.

The workers’ demands include abolition of the existing contractual system. They also want outsourcing to be done away with.