Bhopal/Indore, February 12 The nationwide strike called by trade unions against the Centre's policies on Thursday triggered protests in a few districts of Madhya Pradesh, while over 25,000 civilian employees of defence establishments reported to work an hour late across the state.
However, Indore, Madhya Pradesh's business capital, remained unaffected by the strike.
The day-long strike was called to protest against what the unions described as anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate policies of the central government.
In Indore and surrounding industrial areas, the strike had a negligible impact on factory operations, and work continued as usual, according to industrial bodies and labour leaders.
Markets, petrol pumps, schools, and colleges remained open across the state.
Over 25,000 civilian workers posted at six ordnance factories in Madhya Pradesh, the 506 Army Base Workshop, the Central Ordnance Depot, and the Military Engineer Services reported for duty an hour late as a mark of protest, said S N Pathak, president of the All-India Defence Employees Federation.
"We were unable to observe a complete day-long strike, as defence production and related work fall under the category of essential services," he added, noting that workers reported for duty at 9 am instead of 8 am.
Workers affiliated with various unions staged protests and raised anti-government slogans at some locations across the state.
In Bhopal, workers protested at the press complex, with employees of nationalised banks, the Income Tax Department, and the insurance sector participating, said the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Madhya Pradesh general secretary Pramod Pradhan.
Workers also protested at the gate of the state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) unit in the morning.
In Jabalpur, workers began gathering at the Civic Centre area for a protest rally.
Association of Industries Madhya Pradesh president Yogesh Mehta said industrial activity in Indore and surrounding areas remained largely unaffected.
Pithampur industrial area labour leader Hemant Hirole said workers were not asked to stop work, as the agitation was directed against government policies and not private companies.
Pithampur, located about 30 km from Indore, is the state's major industrial hub with around 1,250 units employing thousands of workers, including migrant labourers from other states.
Essential services in Indore remained unaffected and public transport operated normally, officials said.
Meanwhile, members of employees' unions from the banking, insurance, and other sectors took out rallies in Indore in support of their demands and protested against the Centre's policies.
The joint forum of central trade unions that called for the strike claimed that around 30 crore workers were mobilized for the agitation.
Their demands include the scrapping of the four labour codes and rules, the withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill, the Electricity Amendment Bill, and the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act.
The unions are also seeking the restoration of MGNREGA and the scrapping of the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.
The joint forum includes INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, and UTUC.
