Two-day workers strike hit normalcy in many parts across India on March 28-29 was reverberated with shouts of the striking workers demanding to scrap of anti-worker policies of the Modi government. Even many government employees participated despite the threat of the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) and the orders against their participating in the strike by judiciary and governments, and also many workers affiliated with Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) that being pro-government central trade union did not participate in the general strike. The echo of the strike even reached the front of the Parliament of India in the form of protest by several political parties in opposition, and even suspension of business notice was given in Rajya Sabha to discuss the two-day nationwide strike called ‘Bharat Bandh’. All these indicate that the echo of the demands will be heard for a long time to come as the struggle enters the next stage.
During these two days, an estimated over 20 crore of workers participated in the strike, which is big enough a number for any government to initiate talks with their representative trade unions. The majority of workers were affiliated with 10 central trade unions (CTUs) – INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, and UTUC. The call for the strike was given by the joint platform of CTUs and Sectoral Federations and Associations. Employees and workers from several public transports, banking, and electricity services have also participated in the strike and/or demonstration across the country. Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh witnessed the strongest protests and strikes with many of their areas undergoing ‘Bharat Bandh’ like situation. Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry were also among the worst affected states.
The success of the strike must be viewed in the backdrop of orders passed against government employees. For example, Kerala High Court had passed an order that government staff “can’t take part in national strike” and asked the state to take appropriate action. Not only in Kerala but also in West Bengal, the government has asked its staff to report to duty. Even in Tamil Nadu, the government warned against the strike but the majority of transport workers went on strike. In some states, employees joined the workers’ strike even on the second day i.e. on March 29, such as in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Public transport services were even thrown out of gear in states like West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. In brief, despite orders and advisories by the judiciary and governments, workers participated in the strike, which shows the anger among the workers against the Modi government’s policies. A large number of people from the working class participated on the second day of the strike. ‘Save People, Save Nation’ was the joint call of the CTUs given against the alleged “anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people, and anti-national policies” of the center. Their 12-point charter of demand includes scrapping the four controversial labour codes, stopping privatisation in any form, and scrapping the National Monetisation Policy (NMP), regularisation of contract workers, and social security for all workers and households. Given the situation on the ground which can further embitter the industrial relations in the country, the Modi government must initiate talks with the agitating working class to find a solution as soon as possible.
