NEW DELHI: Day to day life in several states across the country was disrupted due to closure of public offices as well as blockage of roads and railways during the nationwide general strike -- Bharat bandh -- called by ten trade unions spearheaded by the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).
The bandh was observed in Puducherry, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Goa, Meghalaya and Manipur. A partial strike was observed in Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Industrial and sector-specific strikes were organised Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
General Secretary of AITUC, Amarjeet Kaur, told TNIE, "We expected participation from roughly 25 crore workers. The response has been overwhelming with a much higher number taking part both from the formal and informal sectors."
She added, "People are upset due to multiple issues including high price rise and loss of jobs and empathised with us completely. This has made us determined to go ahead with our next course of action which will be much bigger and in association with farmer organisations."
Workers and the police clashed in a few places in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu, with some protestors taken into preventive custody for a few hours and released.
"The rank and file of Samyukt Kisan Morcha and joint front of Agricultural Labour Unions played significant role in the mobilisation in rural India," said a joint statement released by the participating Unions (list of unions at the end).
Worker unions in Coal, NMDC, iron-ore, Copper, Bauxite and Aluminium, Steel and Gold mines also took part. Employees in Banks, LIC, GIC, Petroleum, Electricity, Post offices, Grameen Dak Sevaks, Telecom, Atomic Energy, Cement, Port & Dock Tea plantations and Jute Mills protested.
Public transport, transport of various type in private sector, state government employees in various sectors/states, and central government employees in major areas like postal, income-tax, audit and others went on strike. The workers in most industrial areas in the country joined the strike in a big way and organised processions.
"Defence sector employees held protest demonstrations for one hour in support of strike and joined office only after that as per their decision. The railway unions mobilised and participated in solidarity activities," the statement said.
The road roko and rail roko was staged by the unions in construction, beedi, anganwadi, ASHA, mid-day meal, fisheries, domestic workers, hawkers, head-load workers, home based piece rate workers and auto rickshaw and taxi drivers. The markets were closed at many places in response to the strike.
The strikers expressed their anguish against "the anti-national policies of the government favouring Indian and foreign corporates."
The unions protested against key issues including the government not holding the annual Indian labour conference for the last 10 years, violation of international labour standards, imposition of four labour codes aimed at favouring employers in the name of the 'Ease of Doing Business.'
Apart from AITUC, other Unions which took part were the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, All India United Trade Union Centre, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, All India Central Council of Trade Unions, Self-employed Women’s Association, Trade Union Coordination Centre, Labour Progressive Federation and the United Trade Union Congress.