Huge Success of Nationwide General Strike: Workers Unite for Securing Rights, Jobs & Welfare
The platform of Central Trade Unions comprising – Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC) – and Independent Sectoral Federations issued the following statement on July 9, 2025.
MORE than 25 crore people participated in the strike action, rasta roko, and rail roko across the country, cutting across formal and informal sectors, including government and public sector enterprises, as well as major industrial areas. There were large-scale mobilisations in rural India, particularly at the block and sub-division levels, by informal sector workers, agricultural labourers, farmers, and other sections of the common people. The participation of students and youth was visibly significant in many states. The rank and file of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the joint front of Agricultural Labour Unions played a crucial role in mobilising rural India.
Workers and their unions from sectors such as Coal, NMDC Ltd., non-coal minerals like iron ore, copper, bauxite, aluminium, and gold mines, as well as steel, banks, LIC, GIC, petroleum, electricity, postal, grameen dak sevaks, telecom, atomic energy, cement, port & dock, plantations, jute mills, and public transport – including various types of private transport – state government employees across sectors and states, and central government employees in key departments like postal, income tax, audit, and others, all joined the strike. Workers and employees in most of the industrial areas in the country, including many multinational corporations (MNCs), participated actively in the strike and organised processions. Defence sector employees held protest demonstrations for one hour in support of the strike and joined work only afterwards, as per their collective decision. Railway unions mobilised and participated in solidarity actions.
Unions representing construction workers, beedi workers, anganwadi, ASHA, mid-day meal and other scheme workers, as well as fisheries, domestic workers, hawkers and vendors, head-load workers, home-based piece-rate workers, and rickshaw, auto, and taxi drivers, also took part in the strike and joined rasta roko and rail roko actions at several locations. Students, youth, women, and social activists participated in processions and dharnas across the country. The common people extended their support to these actions, and many markets remained closed in response to the strike and bandh call.
A bandh-like situation prevailed in many parts of the country, particularly in states such as Puducherry, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Goa, Meghalaya, and Manipur. Reports of partial bandhs were also received from segments of Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. Industrial and sectoral strikes were held in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat (news from other states is still awaited).
Workers joined the strike action en masse across the country, bravely confronting intimidation, repression, and threats from both central and state administrations, as well as from employers.
The strikers expressed their anguish over the anti-national policies of the government, which benefit Indian and foreign corporates and international finance capital at the expense of public sector undertakings, public services, and small businesses. They condemned the government's National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), which has put on sale the national infrastructure, natural resources, and public assets, jeopardising the country's self-reliant development and posing a threat to its sovereignty. It is high time to oppose and resist these anti-national policies.
The people expressed their deep discontent against the rising inequalities amidst the unprecedented price rise of essential commodities, growing unemployment and underemployment, which have led to widespread desperation and an alarming increase in suicides among casual labourers and unemployed youth.
The government has failed to convene the Indian Labour Conference for the past ten years, thereby violating international labour standards. It continues to take unilateral decisions that run counter to the interests of the labour force, including attempts to impose the four labour codes under the guise of promoting 'Ease of Doing Business' – a move clearly intended to favour employers.
The trade unions view these labour codes as a complete negation of the rights won through 150 years of struggle, dating back to the British colonial period. The codes undermine the right to strike, complicate union registration, facilitate the easy de-recognition of unions, and make the processes of conciliation and adjudication more cumbersome. Labour courts are being dismantled and replaced with tribunals, and registrars are being given overriding powers to de-register unions. The very definition of "wage" is being altered, and the schedule of occupations for minimum wage applicability has been abolished.
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code is seen as a dangerous dilution of workers’ rights and safety entitlements at the workplace. Traditional inspections have been replaced with a so-called "facilitator" system, which prioritises employer convenience over worker safety. Changes to the Industrial Relations Code – such as raising the threshold for applicability from 100 to 300 workers – would exclude nearly 70 per cent of industries from labour law coverage. Amendments to the Factories Act are expected to similarly remove a substantial portion of the workforce from legal protection, granting employers wide discretionary powers that could lead to increased repression and exploitation.
Labour protections are being systematically eroded. Fixed-term employment lacks any substantial legal safeguards, while unlimited apprenticeships with no requirement for regular absorption are being normalised as a form of exploitation. Employer violations are being decriminalised, whereas criminalisation of trade union leaders is on the cards. The proposed increase in the contractor license threshold from 20 to 50, along with widespread outsourcing and contractual employment, is making precarious work the norm.
Recruitment for sanctioned posts is being stalled, and a ban on the creation of new posts is worsening the unemployment crisis. There is an alarming trend of appointing retirees to positions instead of offering regular employment to unemployed youth, exacerbating joblessness across the country.
The trade unions are demanding immediate recruitment to all sanctioned posts lying vacant across government departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs), the creation of more jobs in industries and services, an increase in both the number of workdays and the remuneration for MGNREGA workers, and the enactment of a similar employment guarantee legislation for urban areas. However, instead of addressing these urgent issues, the government is focused on implementing the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme to subsidise labour costs for employers, effectively encouraging further informalisation of the workforce.
In government departments and public sector enterprises, regular recruitment is being sidelined. Instead, the government is promoting the hiring of retirees, along with fixed-term employees, apprentices, trainees, and interns for core jobs. This trend has been clearly visible in the Railways, NMDC Ltd., the Steel sector, and even in teaching cadres. Such a policy is detrimental to the nation’s growth, especially when 65 per cent of the population is under the age of 35 and the highest unemployment rates are seen in the 20-25 year age group.
The government continues to make misleading claims regarding employment generation and the provision of social security. In reality, existing social security schemes are being systematically weakened, with efforts underway to bring private players into the fold – potentially undermining public accountability and universal access.
Meanwhile, attacks on democratic rights, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution, have intensified under the current regime. A disturbing development is the attempt to disenfranchise migrant workers, with Bihar being a test case. There is rampant misuse of constitutional bodies to suppress dissenting voices, and several states are moving towards enacting laws that criminalise democratic protests and mass movements. Examples include the proposed Public Security Bill in Maharashtra and similar legislation being considered in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Alarmingly, there are also signs of an attempt to undermine citizenship rights.
This marks the beginning of a sustained and determined struggle that will continue across various sectors, culminating in broader, intensified united actions at the national level.
In Delhi, trade unions carried out processions in industrial areas, held strikes, and organised a public rally at Jantar Mantar. The rally was addressed by national leaders of ten Central Trade Unions: Ashok Singh (INTUC), Amarjeet Kaur (AITUC), Harbhajan Singh (HMS), Tapan Sen (CITU), Rajiv Dimri (AICCTU), Lata Ben (SEWA), Chaurasia (AIUTUC), Jawahar (LPF), Dharmendra Verma (TUCC), and R S Dagar (UTUC). Leaders from the ICEU and MEC, along with representatives from AIKS and agricultural workers’ organisations, also addressed the gathering.
