On July 9, India is set to witness a massive Bharat Bandh, as more than 25 crore workers across the country are expected to strike against what they call the government’s “anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate” policies. The call for this nationwide shutdown comes from a coalition of ten major central trade unions, including AITUC, INTUC, CITU, HMS, and others, who have urged participation from all sectors—banking, insurance, postal, mining, construction, and informal industries. Farmers’ groups and rural workers under the Samyukta Kisan Morcha have also pledged support, indicating likely disruptions in both urban and rural services.
The trade unions allege the government is systematically eroding workers’ rights by aggressively pushing privatisation, outsourcing, contractorisation, and weakening labour protections through new labour codes. They argue that these reforms strip workers of rights like collective bargaining and striking, while simultaneously increasing working hours and protecting violators of labour laws. The unions also expressed outrage over the government’s failure to convene the annual labour conference for the past decade, despite their 17-point charter of demands, which includes addressing rising unemployment, filling vacant posts, expanding MGNREGA, and legislating employment rights in urban areas.
In addition to economic issues, the unions condemned what they described as political and constitutional overreach, accusing the government of criminalising democratic dissent through laws like Maharashtra’s Public Security Bill and similar legislation in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. They also raised alarms about voter disenfranchisement efforts targeting migrant workers, especially in Bihar. With growing inequality, surging prices, and budget cuts in health, education, and public services, union leaders say the bandh is a united resistance against growing injustice impacting workers, farmers, and the common citizen alike.
