Nationwide strike to disrupt key sectors

New Delhi

Over 25 crore workers from sectors including banking, insurance, postal services, coal mining, construction, and transport are expected to participate in a nationwide general strike on Wednesday, as announced by a joint forum of ten central trade unions and their affiliates.

Described as a “Bharat Bandh,” the strike is aimed at protesting the central government’s “anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate” policies. The unions claim that these economic strategies are deepening unemployment, weakening labour rights, and increasing inequality. “All India Trade Union Congress’s Amarjeet Kaur stated that more than 25 crore workers and rural labourers are expected to join. Key services like banking, postal, mining, and state transport will be affected,” said Harbhajan Singh Sidhu of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha.

The union forum had earlier submitted a 17-point charter of demands to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, but claim they received no concrete response. They also alleged that the government has not held the annual labour conference for over a decade, while pushing through four new labour codes designed to weaken unions and benefit corporate interests.

The protest is also against the privatisation of public sector units, contractual hiring, and rising casualisation of the workforce. The unions have criticised increasing recruitment of retired personnel over young professionals, despite high youth unemployment. Support for the strike has been extended by Samyukta Kisan Morcha and other agricultural labour unions, who plan mass mobilisations in rural areas. Similar national strikes were held on November 26, 2020; March 28–29, 2022; and February 16, 2023.