Trade unions' strike against the labour Codes gets mixed response

Ten central trade unions organise nationwide protest against Labour Codes, reporting disruptions in coal, banking, transport and agriculture sectors

A joint platform of ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) conducted a nationwide strike on Thursday against the Labour Codes, with some disruption seen across sectors such as coal, banking, transport and agriculture.

 

“This time we had strong mobilisation across coal mine workers, electricians, and workers at the Tuticorin, Kochi, Paradip, Haldia and Kolkata ports. There was also a massive strike in multinational corporations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra,” said Sudip Dutta, president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

 

Dutta added that employees across several public sector companies took part, including SBI, LIC, Power Grid Corporation of India, NTPC and BHEL.

   

Unions estimated participation from over 300 million workers and deemed the strike successful.

 

“There was a bandh-like situation in Odisha, Assam, Kerala and Punjab, while there was a partial bandh in other areas. We saw huge support and participation from farmers, unorganised sector workers, people in the cement, coal and oil sectors,” said Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).

 

Addressing the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called the nationwide strike politically motivated and said that 17 national workers’ organisations have opposed the strike.

 

These unions have deemed the new Labour Codes to be pro-employer and an attack on labour rights. The ten CTUs that collectively organised the strike were the 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 Coordination Centre (TUCC) and RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) rejected the call for the strike, calling it politically motivated and not geared towards workers’ interests. 

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