NEW DELHI: A countrywide strike held across India on July 9 disrupted public services, transport, and banking operations, as over 250 million workers and farmers joined protests against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s economic and labour reforms.
The industrial action, called Bharat Bandh (meaning “Shut Down India”), was organised by a coalition of ten central trade unions alongside several farmers’ and rural workers’ organisations, Indian media reported.
The protest was aimed at opposing what the unions have termed the government’s “pro-corporate and anti-worker” policies, including labour law reforms, privatisation of state-owned enterprises, and the shift away from secure pensions.
The organisers, including the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, claimed widespread participation across key sectors such as banking, insurance, postal services, mining, construction, and energy.
Speaking to local media, AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur said the strike was a response to the Modi government’s attempt “to suppress workers in the name of ease of doing business”.
CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen said that coal mining operations in several states were halted and that “services in banking, insurance, manufacturing and petroleum refineries were impacted”.
According to reports from the Press Trust of India (PTI), road transport was severely affected in parts of Odisha and Kerala, where offices, shops and schools remained shut.
Protesters blocked railway tracks and highways in various cities, causing further disruptions. In New Delhi, demonstrators carried placards and chanted slogans such as “Stop selling our railways” and “Don’t infringe upon trade unions’ rights”.
Unions are demanding the withdrawal of four new labour codes introduced by the Indian government, which they say weaken protections for workers, extend legal working hours, restrict the right to strike, and decriminalise employer violations.
Another key demand is halting the privatisation of public sector undertakings to preserve long-term job security.
Workers also called for a national minimum wage of ₹26,000 per month, a minimum pension of ₹9,000, restoration of the old pension scheme for government employees, and increased recruitment in public sector jobs.
Rural workers demanded an expansion of the MGNREGA rural employment scheme and the introduction of similar guaranteed employment schemes for urban areas.
The striking unions had submitted a 17-point charter of demands to India’s Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya last year, which they claim remains unaddressed.
A. Soundararajan, a senior union leader in Tamil Nadu, said around 30,000 protestors were detained by police across the state.
“Despite police action, manufacturing activities were hit and several industrial units remained closed,” he told reporters.
While the government has not officially responded to the latest strike, it maintains that its reforms are necessary to attract foreign investment, improve the ease of doing business, and boost economic growth.
This is the fourth such strike in recent years. Previous nationwide strikes were held in November 2020, March 2022, and February 2024, each drawing attention to growing discontent among India’s workforce.
