Nationwide strike halts local industry

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The nationwide strike by labour and employee unions disrupted operations across Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s industrial belts on Wednesday, with nearly 45,000 workers around 10% of the workforce skipping duty during the morning shift.

The city’s industrial zones collectively employ over 4.5 lakh workers, including 1.5 lakh on contract. With a significant chunk joining the strike, production came to a halt in several small and medium enterprises (SMEs), causing estimated losses worth crores in a single day.

Waluj, Shendra, Chikalthana, DMIC, Paithan, Chitegaon, and the railway station belt reported the most disruption. Delayed logistics and unavailable raw materials further impacted output. While some units functioned with minimal manpower, others remained shut. Large-scale industries, however, stayed mostly unaffected. “Even one skilled worker missing affects production. The strike paralysed several small units,” said local industrialist Bhagwan Raut.

Key industrial zones impacted:

• Waluj MIDC – 3,000 units

• Chikalthana MIDC – 200 units

• Shendra & AURIC – 700 units

• Paithan, Chitegaon, Railway station & others – 600 SMEs