Nationwide strike against Labour Codes; banks, railways may see disruption
Ten central trade unions call a nationwide strike against Labour Codes; banking, transport and government services may face disruptions in several states
 "Nationwide strike against Labour Codes; banks, railways may see disruption")
The country will see a ‘Bharat Bandh’ or a joint nationwide strike by 10 central trade unions (CTUs) and other affiliates in protest against the new Labour Codes on Thursday.
These unions have deemed the new Labour Codes to be pro-employer and an attack on labour rights. The 10 CTUs that have collectively organised the strike are 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).
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) and RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) have rejected the call for the strike, calling it politically motivated and not geared towards workers’ interests.
This comes a day before the consultation period for the draft rules of the Codes comes to an end. The draft rules for the four Codes were published for public consultation on December 30.
The Confederation of Central Trade Unions (CONCENT), a coalition of some trade unions started in 2020, has also stated that it and its constituent organisations will not participate in the proposed general strike.
The All India Railwaysmen’s Federation (AIRF) has extended its support to the strike, calling for gate meetings, demonstrations, dharnas, and rallies at the local level by all its affiliates. But the Bharatiya Railway Mall Godam Shramik Union (BRMGSU) has opposed it.
The strike is likely to disrupt banking, transport and government services in several states, with organisers expecting participation of 300 million workers.
“We expect strong participation in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and to some extent in West Bengal. There is also going to be large-scale mobilisation in the industrial areas of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and the coal belts around Madhya Pradesh,” said R. Karumalaiyan, National Secretary at CITU. “We will see participation from drivers of auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws and in public transport as well.”
Organisers believe there will be wide participation across coal mines, in the power and petroleum sectors, and among banking and insurance employees.
The National Confederation of Bank Employees has extended its support along with the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA), and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI).
“There will be a bigger impact this time, more so than the July 9 strike last year. The notification of the Labour Codes has agitated workers across the board — from formal to informal to the gig sector,” said Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary at AITUC. “We will see a bandh-like situation in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Haryana and Punjab as transport workers will join the protest.”
Apart from the Labour Codes, the strike also aims to protest against the Draft Seed Bill, Electricity Amendment Bill, the repeal of MGNREGA, among other issues.
Farmers’ unions such as the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) are also set to partake in the strike.
Some states such as West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Delhi are yet to pre-publish draft rules for some of the four Codes. To facilitate the implementation of the Codes, the Ministry of Labour and Employment is conducting six regional conferences with states/union territories and other industry stakeholders.
On Wednesday, Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tabled the Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha to prevent confusion in the future about the continuity of certain older laws that were replaced by the IR Code and now stand repealed.