Trade union strike: About 30 crore workers and farmers participate in protest against labour codes

New Delhi: Trade unions on Thursday claimed that at least 30 crore workers and farmers among others joined the general strike across the country against the "anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies" of the Union government.

The protesters demanded withdrawal of Labour Codes even as reports suggested that there was mixed response to the protest across the country.

The general strike call brought Kerala to a standstill, while there was mixed response in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.

In several places, public transport was impacted while markets, educational institutions, and business establishments were affected as major roads, including national and state highways, were blocked.

Opposition MPs staged a protest in Parliament House complex in solidarity with striking workers and farmers.

In a statement, the trade unions said more than 30 crore workers, farmers and other sections joined the general strike, which saw "massive mobilisations" throughout the country across all sectors, formal and informal, government, public sector, industrial areas, rural and urban India.

In Kerala, the state government had declared a dies non for government employees but attendance at offices, including at the State Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, remained low as transport vehicles kept off the roads while normal life was impacted in Odisha.

Banking, insurance and coal sectors have been affected by the strike in Jharkhand where Congress and the Left parties had announced support, union leaders said. Mining activities in Chhattisgarh were partially hit employees of nationalised banks, insurance companies and post offices participated in the strike. However, transport services were not impacted in Chhattisgarh.

Tamil Nadu saw employees staging protests at ports Thoothukudi and Chennai, impacting its operations in Tamil Nadu. The industrial hub of Sriperumbudur also witnessed significant protests by workers of manufacturing units. The strike saw mixed response in Goa with banking operations affected while essential services remained undisrupted. 

Over 25,000 civilian employees working with defence establishments across Madhya Pradesh reported to work an hour late to support the strike even as markets, schools and colleges remained open across the state. The strike call failed to evoke any response in West Bengal and Tripura as vehicles plied normally and government offices, banks, educational institutions, and markets remained open, while road transport and train services operated as usual across the state.

Supporting the general strike, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on 'X', "Workers fear that the four Labour Codes will weaken their rights. Farmers are apprehensive that trade agreements will strike a blow to their livelihood...When decisions were taken regarding their future, their voice was completely ignored. Will Modi-ji listen now? Or is the 'grip' on him too strong? I stand firmly with the issues of workers and farmers and with their struggle."