Strike affects IT industry, banking services paralysed

KOLKATA: The countrywide trade unions' strike against price rise largely affected IT and ITeS operations while banking sector was entirely paralysed.

The hub of IT and ITeS (IT enabled Services) operations, Salt Lake sector five, registered a very thin attendance.

"The sector has been severely affected due to the strike. While all the IT companies remained closed, the ITeS firms operated with thin attendance," chairman of Descon and president of Sector Five Industries Association, S Radhakrishnan said.

Although the IT sector was not exempted from the purview of the strike, there were no reports of force being applied to willing employees reporting for duty.

Chairman of Acclaris and vice-president of the association, Kalyan Kar said the strike would inflict substantial financial loss to the IT and ITeS companies.

"The loss is estimated at Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore," he said.

Generally, attendance was very thin and majors like HSBC and TCS shut their operations. IBM-Daksh, however, recorded 70 per cent attendance.

Bank branches across the state remained closed. However, ATM counters were open, banking sources said.