Over 25 crore workers joined the strike, claim trade unions

The Hindu

09-07-2025

More than 25 crore workers participated in the nationwide general strike on Wednesday (July 9, 2025) against the policies of the Union government, particularly for scrapping the four Labour Codes, the platform of 10 central trade unions (CTUs) said. The leaders of the unions, addressing a workers' rally in New Delhi, said key sectors such as power, mines, minerals, coal, ports and public transport were affected by the strike.
The CTUs said in a statement that there were very large mobilisations in rural India and also at block-sub-division levels by informal sector workers, agricultural labour and farmers and other sections of common people. 'Participation of students and youth was quite visible in many States. The rank and file of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha [SKM] and joint front of agricultural labour unions played a significant role in the mobilisation in rural India,' they added.
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Stern warning
Senior trade union leader Amarjeet Kaur said the workers gave a stern warning to the Centre that any move to impose the four Labour Codes would be opposed. She said the strike was the beginning of more joint protests with farmers. 'We will soon have a joint meeting with the SKM to chart the future course of the protests,' she said. The CTUs also appreciated Opposition leaders joining their case in election-bound Bihar. 'The move to exclude workers from voter list in Bihar will be objected,' said another trade union leader Rajeev Dimri.
Former MP and general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions Tapan Sen said the strike saw widespread participation of workers across numerous sectors such as coal, non-coal minerals (like iron ore, copper, bauxite, aluminium, manganese, and gold) finance sector, petroleum, oil and gas, telecom, textile and jute mills, defence sector and anganwadi workers. 'The markets were closed at many places in response to the strike/bandh call,' the CTUs said.
They added that it was a bandh-like situation in States such as Puducherry, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Goa, Meghalaya, Manipur etc. 'Reports of partial bandhs were also received in many segments of Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh etc. There was industrial and sectoral strike held in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat,' they said.
The unions claimed that people expressed themselves against the rising inequalities in the face of unprecedented price rise of essential commodities, rising unemployment and underemployment, leading to desperation, increased suicides of casual labour and the unemployed youth. 'The government has not been conducting Indian Labour Conference for the last 10 years, violating international labour standards and continues to take decisions in contravention of the interests of labour force, including attempts to impose four Labour Codes to favour employers in the name of 'Ease of doing Business',' the CTUs said.
The leaders said the general strike was the beginning of the prolonged battle in the days to follow in the sectoral levels focused on determined united resistance, again to culminate into a bigger national-level heightened united action.