Trade unions to observe nationwide strike on Thursday to protest against Govt policies

A joint forum of central trade unions has given a nationwide strike call on Thursday to protest against the ‘anti-worker’ policies of the Government, which may partially affect services like banking, insurance and transport.According to trade unions, 30 crore workers from various sectors are likely to participate in the agitation.

A group of trade unions, on January 9, announced the nationwide strike to show their “resistance to anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the central Government”.

“Services in electricity, banking, insurance, transport, health, education, gas and water supply will be affected due to the nationwide strike call on February 12,” All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur said.She informed that all bank unions will not participate in the strike as their united front has already observed a strike on January 27. However, bank workers’ unions such as AIBEA, AIBOA and BEFI will participate in the protest.Besides, Kaur said, the mining and gas pipeline sectors are also expected to see the impact of the agitation.

Insurance sector workers will protest against the Government’s decision to allow up to 100 per cent FDI (foreign direct investment) in the sector and the implementation of new labour codes.Besides, a large number of workers of private and state transport utilities will participate in the protest, she said.She exuded confidence that this time, “not less than 30 crore workers” will participate in the strike, and around 600 districts are expected to face the impact.

In a similar strike on July 9 last year, about 25 crore workers took part in the agitation, which impacted more than about 550 districts.According to Kaur, labour commissioners in different districts have called for meetings with union leaders to discuss their issues, but Thursday’s agitation will go on as planned by the forum.

Chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), Shailendra Dubey, said that around 2.7 million power employees and engineers across the country will observe a one-day strike on February 12.The strike has been called to oppose privatisation, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, the proposed National Electricity Policy 2026, and for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for power sector employees.

Dubey said that for the first time, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and ten central trade Unions are joining the strike in solidarity with power employees. With the participation of power sector employees, engineers, workers, and farmers, the February 12 action is expected to become one of the largest industrial actions in independent India, Dubey said, adding that one of the major demands of the strike is to stop outsourcing, fill regular posts through direct recruitment, and regularise existing outsourced workers.

AIPEF has expressed concern that the privatisation of the power sector (distribution, generation and transmission) is against the interests of poor consumers, small and medium industries, and the common public.Therefore, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the proposed National Electricity Policy 2026 must be withdrawn immediately, Dubey said.Banking services would be partly impacted as three out of nine unions — All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) —would be articipating in the strike.All-India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) and five other unions in the banking industry are not participating in the strike but extending support. Several public sector banks have already informed their customers that the functioning of the branches and administrative offices across India may be affected due to strike.AIBOC general secretary Rupam Roy said the union has extended support to the strike.“Our members will not act as strike-breakers nor take on any non-supervisory duty on the day of the strike,” Roy told PTI. National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) general secretary L Chandrashekhar said, “We are not part of the strike, but have extended fraternal support to central trade unions.”

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha has extended full-fledged support to the trade unions’ demands, while the joint front of agricultural workers’ unions is joining the strike, demanding the restoration of the rural job guarantee scheme MGNREGA and roll back of the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. Their demands also include the scrapping of four labour codes, withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill and Electricity Amendment Bill, and the ‘Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act’. Members of the joint forum include INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, SEWA, AICCTU LPF and UTUC. Meanwhile, TUCC (Trade Union Co-ordination Centre) has rejected the strike call, saying it is totally baseless, ill-conceived, and against the national interest.“TUCC will not participate in such actions, which are driven more by political demands and considerations than by genuine concern for workers’ welfare. Such politically motivated calls for strike, based on narrow political agendas, are nowhere justified and undermine the established negotiation and dialogue-based model for safeguarding and advancing the rights of workers,” it said in a statement.