Calcutta, Feb. 10: Citu has called a 24-hour strike of casual workers engaged by contractors across Bengal on Friday to press for their regularisation.

The state secretary of the CPM’s labour arm, Kali Ghosh, clarified that it was not a general or an industrial strike. “Shopping malls, big shops, security agencies, hotels, engineering firms and factories where casual staff employed by contractors work will be affected. Wherever our union is strong, we will ensure that they don’t work.” Transport will ply normally, he promised.

“No one who does not fall in this category (workers engaged by contractor) will be prevented from going to work.”

In Calcutta, multiplexes and malls where casual contract labour is employed, said they were confident they would be able to work normally as they followed all government guidelines.