New Delhi, February 12 Normal life remained largely unaffected by the nationwide strike called by a joint forum of central trade unions on Thursday, protesting against the alleged "anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-national policies of the central government."
Reports indicated a mixed response in states including Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab.
In Odisha, a 12-hour nationwide agitation disrupted normal life, according to reports.
Public transport, markets, educational institutions, and business establishments were affected due to the road blockades, including national and state highways.
The impact of the strike was felt in major urban areas such as Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Berhampur, and Sambalpur.
In Jharkhand, the banking, insurance, and coal sectors were affected, according to Bank of India (BOI) Employees' Union state Deputy General Secretary Umesh Das.
Left parties and the Congress also expressed support for the strike.
In Chhattisgarh, several nationalized banks remained closed as employees participated in the strike. Employees of insurance companies, post offices, and farmers also joined the agitation, affecting operations in their respective sectors.
Mining activities in the mineral-rich state were partially affected.
However, transport services continued normally, and shops, markets, and most business establishments remained open.
Normal life remained largely unaffected in many areas, including Durg district in Chhattisgarh, where operations at the Bhilai Steel Plant continued as usual.
Port operations in Tamil Nadu were affected, and workers staged protests. Port operations in Thoothukudi and Chennai were particularly affected.
The Sriperumbudur industrial hub also witnessed significant activity as workers from several manufacturing units held gate meetings and demonstrations in solidarity with the strike.
While production in some major automobile and electronic facilities continued with reduced manpower, the movement of goods in the Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial belt faced delays due to the scarcity of transport vehicles.
In Kerala, while the state government declared a dies-non for government employees, attendance at offices was expected to remain low due to the lack of transport.
Besides government offices, shops and businesses were also likely to remain closed due to the nationwide 24-hour strike.
Travellers were among the worst affected, with KSRTC and private buses remaining off the roads.
Auto-rickshaw unions also announced that they would not operate during the strike.
The ruling AAP in Punjab has extended support to the nationwide strike.
The party announced that its members across Punjab and the rest of the country would join the shutdown alongside workers and farmers.
The agitation drew a mixed response in Goa, with banking operations affected while essential services remained uninterrupted. Nationalised banks and offices of many insurance companies remained closed in the coastal state.
Over 25,000 civilian employees working with defence establishments across Madhya Pradesh reported to work an hour late on Thursday to support the strike. Markets, schools, and colleges remained open across the state.
The strike call failed to evoke any response in West Bengal as vehicles plied normally and state government and private offices recorded usual turnout.
Similarly, the strike call failed to evoke much response in Tripura. Government offices, banks, educational institutions, and markets remained open, while road transport and train services operated as usual across the state.
It had little impact in Gujarat, with most services and commercial establishments functioning as usual across the state.
Normal life remained largely unaffected in major cities, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot.
Markets, shops, industrial units, and educational institutions operated without disruption, while public transport services and autorickshaws ran without any problems.
The joint forum of trade unions has claimed that 30 crore workers are being mobilised for a "general strike" to protest against the new Labour Codes, among other issues.
All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur told news agency PTI that the general strike has started across the country on Thursday morning, and that she has received reports of agitation from states, including Assam, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, Odisha, and Bihar.
She also informed about the processions in the industrial areas of New Delhi and that traffic on the roads is relatively light.
Kaur said banking, insurance, postal, transport, health, coal and non-coal mines, gas pipeline and electricity sectors will be affected by the strike.
She further said the farmers’ unions are also holding protests in their respective areas.
The trade unions’ immediate demands include the scrapping of four Labour Codes and rules, 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 unions are also demanding 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.
