New Delhi, February 12 Employees and workers associated with a joint forum of central trade unions observed a day-long strike on Thursday to demonstrate their "resistance to anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-national policies that favor corporations, promoted by the central government".
The forum claims to be mobilizing 30 crore workers for a "general strike" to protest against the new labour codes, among other issues.
All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur told PTI that the general strike began across the country on Thursday morning, and that she has received reports of the agitation from states including Assam, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, Odisha, and Bihar.
She added that processions have started in industrial areas of New Delhi, and that traffic on the roads is relatively light.
Kaur said that the strike will affect the banking, insurance, postal, transport, health, coal, and non-coal mining, gas pipeline, and electricity sectors.
She further stated that the farmer's unions will also hold protests in their respective areas.
Their immediate demands include the scrapping of four labour codes and rules, the withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill and the 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.
