New Delhi, February 11 A joint forum of central trade unions has called for a nationwide strike on Thursday to protest against the government's "anti-worker" policies, which may partially affect services such as banking, insurance, and transport.
According to trade unions, an estimated 30 crore workers from various sectors are expected to participate in the agitation.
On January 9, a group of trade unions announced a nationwide strike to express their "resistance to the central government's anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-national policies that favor corporations."
"Services in electricity, banking, insurance, transport, healthcare, education, gas, and water supply will be affected due to the nationwide strike on February 12," Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress, told PTI.
She informed that all bank unions will not participate in the strike, as their united front has already observed a strike on January 27. However, bank worker unions such as AIBEA, AIBOA, and BEFI will participate in the protest.
Besides, Kaur said, the mining and gas pipeline sectors are also expected to be affected.
Insurance sector workers will protest against the government's decision to allow up to 100% FDI (foreign direct investment) in the sector and the implementation of new labor codes.
Furthermore, a large number of workers from private and state transport utilities will participate in the protest, she said.
She expressed confidence that "at least 30 crore workers" will participate in the strike, and that around 600 districts are expected to be affected.
In a similar strike on July 9 last year, about 25 crore workers took part in the agitation, which impacted more than about 550 districts.
According to Kaur, labor commissioners in different districts have called for meetings with union leaders to discuss their concerns, but the planned strike will proceed as scheduled by the forum.
Shailendra Dubey, Chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), said that around 2.7 million power employees and engineers across the country will observe a one-day strike on February 12.
The strike is being called to oppose privatization, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, the proposed National Electricity Policy 2026, and to restore the Old Pension Scheme for power sector employees.
Dubey said that for the first time, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and ten central trade unions are joining the strike in solidarity with power employees.
With the participation of power sector employees, engineers, workers, and farmers, the February 12 action is expected to be one of the largest industrial actions in independent India, Dubey said, adding that one of the major demands of the strike is to stop outsourcing, fill regular posts through direct recruitment, and regularize existing outsourced workers.
AIPEF has expressed concern that the privatization of the power sector (distribution, generation, and transmission) is against the interests of poor consumers, small and medium industries, and the general public.
Therefore, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the proposed National Electricity Policy 2026 must be withdrawn immediately, Dubey said.
Banking services would be partly impacted as three out of nine unions – All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) – would be participating in the strike.
The All-India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) and five other unions in the banking industry are not participating in the strike but extending support.
Several public sector banks have already informed their customers that the functioning of branches and administrative offices across India may be affected due to the strike.
Rupam Roy, General Secretary of AIBOC, said the union has extended support to the strike.
"Our members will not act as strike-breakers nor take on any non-supervisory duty on the day of the strike," Roy told PTI.
L Chandrashekhar, General Secretary of the National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), said, "We are not part of the strike, but have extended fraternal support to central trade unions."
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha has extended full-fledged support to the trade unions' demands, while the joint front of agricultural workers' unions is joining the strike, demanding the restoration of the rural job guarantee scheme MGNREGA and the rollback of the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.
Their demands also include the scrapping of four labour codes, withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill and Electricity Amendment Bill, and the 'Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act'.
The joint forum includes INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, SEWA, AICCTU LPF and UTUC.
Meanwhile, TUCC (Trade Union Co-ordination Centre) has rejected the strike call, saying it is totally baseless, ill-conceived, and against the national interest.
"TUCC will not participate in such actions, which are driven more by political demands and considerations than by genuine concern for workers' welfare. Such politically motivated calls for strike, based on narrow political agendas, are nowhere justified and undermine the established negotiation and dialogue-based model for safeguarding and advancing the rights of workers," it said in a statement.
