Employees and workers linked to a joint forum of central trade unions staged protests in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Thursday, against the Central government’s labour reforms and economic policies.
Calling the Central government’s policies 'pro-corporate', the union leaders held a protest at Chandigarh’s Sector 17 and raised slogans against the Centre. They carried placards reading “We reject labour codes” and “We oppose anti-labour laws”. In Ludhiana, the Punjab Bank Employees’ Federation (PBEF) held a large rally at Bharat Nagar Chowk.
Protests were also organised at several places in Haryana, including Sonipat, Rohtak and Hisar. However, banks and roadways buses continued to function normally in most parts of the state. In Sonipat, All-India State Government Employees Federation president Subhash Lamba said there was a 'very good response' as workers linked to the forum held a demonstration at the bus terminus complex.
In the industrial belt, many workers in Manesar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Bawal and Dharuhera also took part in the strike. Lamba added that ASHA and Anganwadi workers also held demonstrations. "The strike also had an impact in various departments of the state government, like Urban Local Bodies, power, tourism, irrigation, health and revenue," Lamba said.
Employees of the state roadways staged a two-hour protest from 10 am to 12 noon at different bus depots. Trade union protests were also reported from several other states, including West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The key demands include scrapping of four labour codes and their rules, withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill and the Electricity Amendment Bill, and repeal of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act.
The four labour codes are the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
The unions are also seeking restoration of MGNREGA and withdrawal of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. Police personnel were deployed at various places to maintain law and order.
At a protest in Ludhiana, PBEF general secretary PR Mehta alleged that the new labour codes restrict the right to strike and promote contractual jobs, making jobs insecure and enabling easy hiring and firing. He said bank employees, along with workers from other sectors, would strongly oppose these changes through united and democratic action. “These new codes and labour policies aim to take away many hard-earned rights of workers,” Mehta added.
Trade union leader Dr Rajinder Pal Singh Aulakh said the changes would push a large number of workers outside the ambit of labour laws, further exposing them to exploitation. Naresh Gaur, secretary of PBEF Ludhiana, said the labour codes favour big corporates at the cost of workers’ welfare and social security. He urged the government to withdraw the codes and hold meaningful talks with trade unions to protect workers’ rights and ensure fair labour practices.
Gaur added that at a time of high unemployment, the government should create more jobs instead of promoting fixed-term employment, which he said threatens the future of young people. He also demanded a halt to privatisation and disinvestment in banks, withdrawal of the recent 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) hike in insurance, and reversal of the move to merge public sector general insurance companies into a single entity.
The joint forum includes 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, Self-Employed Women’s Association, All India Central Council of Trade Unions, Labour Progressive Federation and United Trade Union Congress.
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