THE Joint National Convention of Workers, held on March 18, 2025, at Pyare Lal Bhavan in New Delhi, brought together a powerful coalition of Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations, with the notable exception of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). The convention saw an overwhelming turnout of representatives from a wide range of sectors, including public sector and government employees (such as banks, insurance, coal, steel, ports, electricity, telecom, postal services, railways, defense, roadways, education, health, water, and civil services), private formal sector workers (including contract labourers), and informal or unorganised sector workers (such as industrial, contract, outsourced, and self-employed workers). Specific worker groups, including domestic workers, gig workers, scheme workers (like Anganwadi, ASHA, and Mid-day Meal workers), beedi workers, construction workers, and loaders-unloaders, were also represented. Representing various states and sectoral federations, over 240 leaders and activists from CITU participated in the convention.

The convention was marked by a strong condemnation of the central government’s decade-long refusal to heed the demands of trade unions and its dismissal of their policy concerns. A resounding sentiment of “enough is enough” echoed through the gathering, with a unified call to oppose the government’s anti-people policies. This culminated in the adoption of a declaration announcing a two-month nationwide campaign, building towards a one-day national general strike on May 20, 2025. The convention was presided over by a presidium comprising leaders from various unions, including OS Tomar (INTUC), Mohan Sharma (AITUC), K Hemalata (CITU), JR Bhosle (HMS), Vijaypal Singh (AIUTUC), Shivshankar (TUCC), Asha Ben (SEWA), Santosh Rai (AICCTU), RK Maurya (LPF), and Shatrujeet Singh (UTUC). The declaration was endorsed by leaders such as Ashok Singh (INTUC), Amarjeet Kaur (AITUC), Harbhajan Singh (HMS), Tapan Sen (CITU), Harish Tyagi (AIUTUC), K Indu Prakash Menon (TUCC), Lata Ben (SEWA), Rajiv Dimri (AICCTU), Jawahar Prasad (LPF), and Ashok Ghosh (UTUC), who addressed the convention.

This important gathering underscored the growing discontent among India’s working class and set the stage for a significant nationwide mobilisation. The call for a general strike on May 20, 2025, represents a critical moment in the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights, social justice, and the fight against policies that are harmful to the interests of the working masses.

The declaration adopted at the convention underscores the grave concerns surrounding the implementation of the Labour Codes, which are a central component of the corporate agenda to severely curtail the fundamental democratic and constitutional rights of the people. These rights include freedom of expression and the right to dissent, particularly collective dissent, which are being systematically restricted through laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and the recently enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The declaration highlights that the government is employing a range of administrative and executive measures to establish an authoritarian form of governance with fascistic tendencies, aimed at suppressing all democratic and collective opposition to pro-corporate and anti-national policies.

A particularly alarming aspect of this repression is Section 111 of the BNS, which classifies collective actions, including filing complaints by workers and unions, as 'organised crime,' leading to severe police actions, including non-bailable imprisonment. Already, there have been instances in several states where criminal charges have been filed against workers and union leaders for collectively addressing grievances with management or the Labour Department. This repressive approach has resulted in aggressive authoritarian interventions, including employer threats, across various industries and government departments. These measures are designed to stifle routine collective activities of workers and unions, such as gate or departmental meetings, leaflet distribution, and memorandum submissions, thereby creating a climate of fear. The united working-class movement cannot remain passive in the face of these detrimental policies against the country and its people.

The declaration further emphasizes that, in its third term, the government has aggressively pursued the implementation of the Labour Codes, which represent a comprehensive plan to impose conditions of virtual slavery on the entire working population. These codes aim to strip workers of nearly all workplace rights and entitlements, posing a severe threat to fundamental worker rights such as defined working conditions, working hours, minimum wages, and social security. The codes also seek to dismantle collective rights, including unionisation, recognition, collective bargaining, and the right to strike or any form of collective protest. They also introduce harsh and retaliatory punishments against any collective dissent by workers. In essence, the Labour Codes are designed to enforce conditions of virtual slavery on the working people, serving the interests of corporations and employers. The declaration calls for a united and resolute response to these oppressive measures.

The joint declaration adopted at the National Convention of Workers underscores the critical importance of unity among all working people, transcending divisions of religion, caste, community, ethnicity, language, or culture, in the upcoming struggle for their just and legitimate rights and demands. It emphasizes that a primary task for the united working-class movement is to actively oppose all divisive and conspiratorial schemes within society, as these are designed to weaken and divert their collective resistance against the injustices inflicted upon the people and the national economy. The declaration highlights specific concerns, such as the government's proposed Wakf Board Amendments Bill, which is seen as an attempt to promote divisive politics. It also criticizes the government's push for the 'one nation, one election' agenda as a diversionary tactic with ulterior motives, despite widespread opposition.

The declaration reaffirms the charter of demands formulated by the Joint Platform of Trade Unions at their previous national convention on January 30, 2023. This charter focuses on securing the fundamental rights to life and livelihood for all working people, including those in the organised and unorganised sectors, as well as the self-employed. To achieve these demands, the declaration asserts that the implementation of the Labour Codes must be halted and decisively defeated through nationwide united struggles of defiance and resistance by the working class. This requires both national-level united actions and sectoral resistance, as the defeat and scrapping of the Labour Codes are a matter of life and death for the working-class movement. The declaration stresses that resisting the Labour Codes is central to defending the constitutional and democratic framework of the country's governance and is a prerequisite for securing a decent and humane working life, including the right to quality employment.

The National Convention of Workers reaffirmed its demand to scrap the Labour Codes and reiterated its 17-point charter of demands, which offers an alternative to the disastrous neoliberal policy regime.

To ensure the success of the Nationwide General Strike on May 20, 2025, the convention unanimously adopted a series of nationwide actions and programmes aimed at mobilising workers and building momentum for the strike. These initiatives include:

1.   State/District/Sectoral Conventions: Organise conventions at the state, district, and sectoral levels from March 2025 to mid-April 2025 to galvanise support and prepare for the strike.

2.   Protest Actions against Labour Codes: Launch immediate protest actions as acts of resistance and defiance the very next day after the Labour Codes are announced. Continue an extensive campaign leading up to the General Strike on May 20, 2025.

3.   Intensive Local Campaigns: Conduct intensive campaigns at the local level in April and May 2025, reaching out to every worker through padayatras (foot marches), jeep jathas, cycle jathas, motorbike jathas, and other forms of mobilisation.

4.   Decentralised Nationwide Mobilisation: Organize a decentralised nationwide mobilisation in April to boost the campaign for the strike. A date for this mobilisation will be decided later, with a Delhi mobilisation involving participation from the National Capital Region (NCR) areas.

5.   General Strike Notices: Issue General Strike Notices in respective sectors and industries through their respective unions and federations before May 3, 2025. Additionally, issue joint General Strike Notices signed by all Central Trade Unions to factories, even in areas where unions are not present, by May 3, 2025.

6.   Mass Distribution of Joint Appeals: Multiply and distribute jointly signed appeals for the General Strike in millions, translated into local languages, to ensure they reach every worker.

7.   Gate Meetings and Workplace Mobilisation: Hold gate meetings, workplace-level gatherings, and residential area meetings to engage all sections of workers and the broader public, ensuring widespread participation in the strike.

8.   Post-Strike Review: Conduct a review of activities after the General Strike to assess its impact and further strengthen the resistance against the Labour Codes and anti-people policies. This will help heighten the ongoing struggle to save the nation from these anti-national policies.

These actions are designed to build a strong, unified movement of workers across the country, ensuring maximum participation in the General Strike and amplifying the collective voice against the Labour Codes and other anti-worker, anti-people policies. The convention emphasized the need for relentless efforts to resist these policies and defend the rights and dignity of the working class.