While these ten unions claim to have a combined membership of 15 crore workers in public and private sector, including banks and insurance companies, several outfits representing informal sector workers also today announced their support to the strike.
Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, however, said he expects the impact to be minimal.
"I don't think essential services will be affected by the strike. I feel that the impact will not be much. I appeal them to call off strike in the interest of workers and nation," Dattatreya told reporters here.
Countering this claim, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said that power, oil and gas supplies will not be affected as a large number of public sector workers in these areas would not participate in the industrial action.
As many as 12 central trade unions had given this strike call over a 12-points charter of demands, including withdrawal of the proposed changes in the labour laws and stopping the disinvestment and privatisation of PSUs.
While as many as ten central unions have decided to go ahead with the strike after their talks with a group of senior ministers last week failed to yield desired results, the BMS pulled out saying the government needed to be given time to fulfill its promises on the basic demands. The National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU) will also stay out.
On impact of the strike, Dattatreya said, "The BMS and NFITU are not in the strike. Besides there are 2-4 organisations (unions) which are neutral." He did not reveal the names of the 'neutral' trade unions.
He further said, "We don't want any confrontation with trade unions. The workers' rights and interests are supreme to us. We will continue talks with trade unions even after tomorrow's strike.