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The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Centre says several unions backed off from strike; Unions refute claim, say Centre's trying to intimidate workers
The Union Labour Ministry has claimed that about 213 Unions, including the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), have informed it that they will not participate in the nationwide general strike called by ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) on Wednesday (July 9, 2025). However, the CTUs said the Centre is trying to put pressure and intimidate the workers but the strike will be a success. The CTUs are going on the strike over a 17-point demand charter, including scrapping of the four Labour Codes. A Ministry source said 213 unions, such as the Powergrid Employees Union of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Bharat Electronics Limited Employees Union of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Hindustan Shipyard Limited Workers and Staff Union of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) have informed the Ministry that they will not participate in the strike. The Ministry maintains that it is ready to hold discussions with the trade unions, while CTUs say all tripartite mechanisms such as the Indian Labour Conference have been undermined by the incumbent government. Meanwhile, BMS general secretary Ravindra Himte said in a statement that the union will not support the strike. Mr. Himte said some trade unions are fighting a political battle in the name of workers. AITUC general secretary Amarjeet Kaur said the Centre has claimed that unions in the defence sector were not going on the strike. 'They are having a one-hour protest as decided earlier,' she said. She added that managements are putting pressure everywhere, but the strike will take place. 'The government is grappling with this issue. They want to tell media that nothing is happening. Railways unions had not given strike notices. They will only mobilise their members. Several cement factory unions are going on strike, except one or two. Strike will be near total in banks and insurance sectors. Even those who did not give strike notice will not do work in solidarity. The sectors mentioned in government's list do not include unions from huge industrial areas where the impact of strike will be visible. Vast majority of workforce in the informal economy will also be in action,' Ms. Kaur said. Ms. Kaur said there are more than 16,000 unions as per the government's own records and the list of 213 unions contains only government and public sector/service unions and some are with miniscule membership.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Nationwide strike on July 9: Ten trade unions protest labour codes
Ten of the country's 12 central trade unions have called for a nationwide strike on Wednesday to protest the government's failure to conduct the Indian Labour Conference for the last ten years and its continued decisions against the interests of the country's labour force. The unions have particularly criticised the 'attempts to impose' four labour codes with the aim of weakening the collective bargaining power of trade unions. The unions have said that an estimated 300 to 400 million workers are expected to join the strike, supporting the 17-point charter of demands, which opposes the Union government's policies. The ten trade unions, including the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha, and Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), have announced that their preparations for the strike, likely to be one of the biggest in recent years, are on course. However, the government holds that it is ready to discuss all provisions if unions offer 'constructive feedback,' rather than engaging in consultations with a zero-sum game approach. 'If we talk about labour codes, a majority of states have already made amendments in their laws, aligning them with the spirit of the Centre's codes. It's not just the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-governed states. Many opposition-ruled states have also made these changes, indicating their recognition of the importance of investments, especially in the manufacturing sector,' official sources told Business Standard. In a statement issued on the eve of the strike on Tuesday, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the largest trade union in the country, announced it would not participate in the strike, alleging the action was politically inspired. Of the four labour codes, the BMS welcomed the Code on Wages, 2019, and the Code on Social Security, 2020, noting that the latter provided for the social security of platform and gig workers for the first time. However, the BMS said it had consulted with stakeholders and suggested amendments to the other two labour codes — the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 — submitting its suggestions to the government. 'In recent days, the government has discussed the amendments with owners and trade unions, but that is insufficient. The government needs to address the issue of amending these codes with more seriousness,' BMS General Secretary Ravindra Himte said, adding that other trade unions were misleading workers, and the strike was 'purely politically inspired.' In addition to the BMS, the National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU) also announced it would not participate in the strike. In a joint statement, the ten trade unions stated that the government's economic policies were resulting in increased unemployment, rising prices of essential commodities, stagnant wages, and cuts in social sector spending, contributing to growing inequality. 'This strike call opposes the anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the government,' the unions said. They have been fighting against the privatisation of public sector enterprises, outsourcing by government departments and public sector enterprises (PSEs), and the pro-employer four labour codes, which they argue aim to suppress trade union movements, erode the right to collective bargaining, and decriminalise violations of labour laws by employers while criminalising trade union activities. The unions have demanded that the government address unemployment, recruit in sanctioned posts, create more jobs, increase workdays and remuneration under the rural employment guarantee scheme, and introduce a similar scheme for urban areas. 'Instead, the government is focused on imposing the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme to incentivise employers,' the unions said. Workers in sectors including mining, insurance, power, postal, telecom, public transport, defence, and railways will strike on July 9, while unions in construction, beedi, Anganwadi, ASHA, mid-day meal workers, domestic workers, hawkers, and vendors will participate in mass mobilisation actions. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha and a joint front of agricultural workers' unions have extended support to the strike. 'We don't see any impact from the proposed strike. It is politically motivated, and the people behind it have been discredited. In fact, we have received support from over 200 worker unions across the country, many of which are affiliated with central unions like AITUC and INTUC, demonstrating that their own house is not in order,' official sources added. Trade unions had previously observed similar nationwide strikes in November 2020, March 2022, and February 16 last year. In a related development, Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar said state-run Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses would continue operating on Wednesday, despite central trade unions calling for a nationwide strike. The KSRTC had not received any formal notice from trade unions about their participation in the strike. "As far as KSRTC is concerned, employees are happy and content. The unions have not issued any notice. KSRTC buses will run as usual," he added.
