On November 26th the largest general strike in human history occurred across India. Over 250 million workers took part, nearly a fifth of the adult population in the country. This shatters the previous record from earlier this year, also in India, when 150 million went on strike on January 8th.
Ten central trade unions organized the strike. These were:
Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)
All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)
Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS)
Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)
All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC)
Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC)
Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA)
All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU)
Labour Progressive Federation (LPF)
United Trade Union Congress (UTUC)
Growing Unrest
Tensions have been building against the Modi administration in the country as he has centralized power while reducing spending on healthcare and social welfare programs. However, the impetus for the strike came in protest of three new labor bills, the Industrial Relations Code Bill, the Code on Social Security Bill, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code Bill, all passed by both Parliament houses this year.
In an official Facebook video a Congress Party leader stated, “They have destroyed the labor laws and brought new labor code, we are against that. They have harassed the migrant workers who are now dying due to hunger. We are also against privatization of government sectors. We are also against the anti-people policies, such as the Commodities Act.”
This year’s amendment to the Essential Commodities Ordinance removed basic products, such as food, from protections that would ensure the delivery of these products to consumers at fair prices. The amendment makes it to where the practice is limited to use only in cases of war, famine, natural disasters, or extraordinary price inflation.
A Swell of Support
The strike was also supported by several leftist parties, most notably the Indian National Congress (INC) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). Both parties called it a massive success and historic in nature.
Some groups involved included government employees, industrial workers, domestic workers, farmers, taxi drivers, railway workers, defense employees, vendors and the self-employed. The All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) also joined in on the strike.
The seven demands of the unions were as follows:
Withdrawal of all "anti-farmer laws and anti-worker labour codes"
Payment of Rs 7,500 (~$101 USD) in the accounts of each non-tax paying family
Monthly supply of 10 kg of food grains to needy families
MGNREGS expansion to give 200 workdays every year, higher wages and the scheme’s implementation in urban areas
Stop "privatisation of the public sector, including the financial sector, and stop corporatisation of government-run manufacturing and service entities like railways, ordinance factories, ports etc."
Withdrawal of the "draconian circular on forced premature retirement of government and PSU employees"
Pension to all, scrapping of NPS (National Pension System) and the reimposition of earlier pension with improvement in EPS-95 (Employees' Pension Scheme-1995 run by retirement fund body EPFO)
A few minor clashes between protestors and police were reported, mostly involving police forcefully removing protestors who were blocking lines of transportation.
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