Nationwide trade unions strike: Employees hold protest in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh

Employees and workers associated with a joint forum of central trade unions held protests in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Thursday against the Centre's labour reforms and economic policies. Calling the Centre's policies ''pro-corporate'', the union representatives held an agitation at Chandigarh's Sector 17 and raised slogans against the union government. They were holding placards mentioning ''we rejected labour codes'' and ''we oppose anti-labour codes''. In Ludhiana, the Punjab Bank Employees' Federation (PBEF) organised a massive rally at the Bharat Nagar Chowk. The demonstrations were also held at many places in Haryana, including Sonipat, Rohtak and Hisar. However, banks and roadways buses functioned normally at most places in the state. In Sonipat, the president of All India State Government Employees Federation, Subhash Lamba, claimed a ''very good response'' after workers associated with the forum held a protest at the bus terminus complex. In the industrial sector, several workers in Manesar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Bawal, and Dharuhera joined the strike, he said, adding that the ASHA and the Anganwari workers also took part in the 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 also held a two-hour protest from 10 am to 12 pm at various bus depots. The demonstrations by trade unions are observed across several parts of the country, including West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The 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 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 demanding the restoration of MGNREGA and the scrapping of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. To maintain law and order in various places, police personnel were also deployed. The PBEF general secretary, PR Mehta, in a protest in Ludhiana, alleged that the new labour codes restrict the right to strike and promote contractual jobs, making employment insecure by rendering it easy to hire and fire. Through a united and democratic action, the bank employees, along with workers from other sectors, will strongly oppose these changes, Mehta added. It is obvious that the new codes and labour policy sought to take away various hard-won worker rights, he said. Dr Rajinder Pal Singh Aulakh, a trade union leader, said that the bulk of the workers would be taken out of the purview of any labour laws, which would further facilitate their exploitation. Naresh Gaur, secretary of PBEF Ludhiana, emphasised that the labour codes are designed to benefit big corporates at the cost of workers' welfare and social security. He called upon the government to immediately withdraw these codes and engage in meaningful dialogue with the trade unions to protect workers' rights and ensure fair labour practices. He added that when we are facing huge unemployment, the government, instead of generating more jobs, is proposing a fixed-term employment scheme, jeopardising the future of the youngsters. Gaur demanded the stopping of privatisation and disinvestment in banks, and withdrawing the recent hike of 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in insurance, and merging the public sector general insurance companies into one entity. The joint forum includes 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.