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Trade unions have claimed that more than 15 crore workers participated in the one-day national general strike on Wednesday and that it was “near-total”.
In a joint statement, the 10 central trade unions termed it “the biggest strike ever in the country” and said it had affected operations in the transport, oil, coal, power, bank, insurance, port, defence, postal, telecom and automobile industries apart from witnessing participation by State government employees.
The government, however, maintained that with the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh backing out, the strike failed to have much of an impact on the ground, particularly in the coal sector. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Coal, Power, and New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal said coal production was hit only a little, in some pockets. “I don’t think there is going to be much of an impact,” he added.
However, our Kolkata bureau reports that production at Coal India’s mines remained 40 per cent below average at the end of the first shift.
The unions said the strike was total in Kerala, Assam, Goa, Telangana, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Manipur, Uttrakhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand while it was “massive” in Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Meghalaya.
Industry’s response Industry organisations called for discussions rather than disruptions. Assocham said the financial impact of the disruption of essential services might lead to a loss of over ₹25,000 crore to the economy. The Confederation of Indian Industry said labour law reforms are crucial to create a conducive environment for investments and employment generation.
‘Protect workers’ rights’ The trade unions responded by saying that the government and big business houses were responsible for the losses. “It’s not a question of the actual amount of loss — whether it’s ₹25,000 crore or more. The government has to act and ensure the rights for workers,” CITU President AK Padmanabhan said.
In a statement, the Labour Ministry said: “The Inter-Ministerial Committee constituted by the Prime Minister had held several rounds of meetings with the representatives of central trade unions to discuss their demands. The government is positive on many of their demands without any pressure and expressed its commitment to ensure the welfare of workers.”
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