MP: Trade union strike sees protests in few districts; 25,000 civilian defence staff reach work late

The nationwide strike called by trade unions against the Centre's policies on Thursday triggered protests in a few districts of Madhya Pradesh, while over 25,000 civilian employees working with defence establishments across the state reported to work an hour late. The daylong strike is being observed to protest against what the unions described as anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the central government. Markets, schools and colleges remained open across the state. Over 25,000 civilian workers posted at six ordnance factories in MP, the 506 Army Base Workshop, the Central Ordnance Depot and Military Engineer Services reported for duty an hour late as a mark of protest, said S N Pathak, president of All-India Defence Employees Federation. ''We could not observe a complete daylong strike as defence production and related work fall under the essential services category,'' he said. Instead of reporting at 8 am, the workers started duty at 9 am, Pathak added. Workers affiliated with various unions were seen protesting and raising anti-government slogans at some places across MP. In the press complex here, workers protested and chanted anti-government slogans. Employees of nationalised banks, Income Tax Department, those from the insurance sector and others took part in the protest, said Centre of India Trade Unions MP general secretary Pramod Pradhan. In the morning, workers protested at the gate of state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited in Bhopal, he said. ''We are going to protest the entire day. The protest by Anganwadi workers will commence near the Bhopal collectorate at 1.30 am,'' he added. In Jabalpur, workers have begun gathering in the Civic Centre area for a protest rally. The joint forum of central trade unions that has called for the strike claimed that around 30 crore workers have been mobilised for the agitation. Their immediate demands include the scrapping of four labour codes and rules, withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill and Electricity Amendment Bill, and the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act. The unions are also demanding the restoration of MGNREGA and the scrapping of the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The joint forum includes INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC.