10 of the largest trade unions, barring the RSS affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, observed a 24 hour bandh today across the country. While the response was not as spectacular, and was mixed, the trade unions have been organizing such protests periodically to highlight the broader issues related to the economics and politics of labor. They claimed it to be their 22nd general strike since 1991 which they say was the beginning of the neoliberal era in the country. The major issues remain increasing casualization and contractualization of labor, wage losses and privatization. Today’s strike was originally called in April but due to the Pahalgam attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor, it was deferred for today. The immediate trigger for this round of strikes though seems to be the likelihood of notification of the labor codes. Most of the states and union territories have already framed the rules for these codes, though only the BJP ruled states have implemented them. The union labor minister had also hinted that it was time the codes were implemented nationwide. The unions are also expecting that unionization would become difficult after the codes. Irrespective of these identifiable causes, the unions are trying to communicate a deeper malaise within the economy and its politics. India today is perhaps the only economy where the agricultural labor force is increasing and the reverse migration of labor persists since the pandemic. Real wages have been stagnant for a decade now. The falling public provision of health and education is further accentuating the distress. There’s been no effort whatsoever in preparing the workforce for the imminent AI disruption. The crisis in agriculture is aggravating further. We just had the news of 730 farmer suicides in vidarbha within the last 3 months. Cotton production has been decreasing constantly for the last decade. The probable trade deal with the trump administration threatens to worsen the situation. Multi brand retailers, opening up agro especially dairy sector, steel and aluminum all threaten livelihood. Inequality has increased beyond all imagination, far ahead of colonial times. The issues and concerns are unending, but the trade unions are trying to articulate them in tangible terms. The indifference of media to such events is criminal. But the message does travel. Workers consciousness is perhaps the last resistance against the hyper realistic world woven by media and manipulated politics.
A call for workers consciousness
