Video of the General Strike

From the paddy fields of Punjab to industrial belts in Tamil Nadu, from tea gardens in West Bengal to transport hubs in Uttar Pradesh, and across the National Capital Region in New Delhi, workers and peasants converged in a rare display of coordinated dissent. Coal miners downed tools. Electricity employees joined demonstrations. Banking and insurance services reported disruptions. In ports, transport depots and manufacturing clusters, protest meetings and road blockades signaled a shared disquiet.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) described the strike as “one of the largest ever General Strikes in the history of Independent India,” arguing that it cemented worker-peasant unity as the backbone of resistance to what it termed corporate-driven policies. Congratulating the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions, the SKM said the action had instilled confidence among working people to resist “exploitative, corporate-oriented measures” and warned that if the Union government persisted with its trajectory, “more intensified, continuous, united pan-India struggles” would follow.

At the heart of the mobilisation was opposition to the four labour codes. But the anger spilled far beyond them. The SKM pointed to resentment against Free Trade Agreements, the proposed Electricity Bill, and the Seed Bill. Rural participation, it noted, was not symbolic but structural. “There was much more effective and widespread coordination than ever before,” the statement said, highlighting the large-scale involvement of women and rural workers. The issue of scheme workers — denied worker status and statutory minimum wages — figured prominently in protest speeches across states.

For the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the strike was a “historic success,” with demonstrations reported at more than 2,000 locations nationwide. The organisation characterised the mobilisation as a warning to the ruling dispensation: withdraw what it called anti-people laws or face prolonged resistance. Participation, it emphasised, cut across organised and unorganised sectors, underlining the breadth of social discontent.

AIKS leader Vijoo Krishnan framed the moment as one of political clarity rather than episodic protest. “This unity of workers and peasants is not accidental,” he said. “It reflects deep anger against policies that privatise profits and socialise losses. The government must withdraw the anti-worker labour codes and anti-farmer measures. If it fails to listen, today’s strike will only be the beginning of a longer and stronger struggle.”

Significantly, the mobilisation was not confined to physical spaces. Social media became an extension of the protest ground. Hashtags trended across platforms, live videos from picket lines travelled instantly between states, and infographics explaining the labour codes and farm-related legislations were widely circulated in multiple languages. Leaders used digital tools not merely for publicity but for political education — simplifying complex policy questions into accessible, shareable content.

Farmers gather at Freedom Park in Bangalore on February 10 to launch an indefinite strike. Photo: Vijoo Krishnan/FB

Vijoo Krishnan and other SKM leaders conducted regular live briefings  in real time and amplified ground reports from district-level actions. Short video messages from protest sites in Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal created a sense of simultaneity — of a nation rising together rather than isolated pockets of unrest. In an era where narratives are shaped as much online as on the streets, the strike demonstrated that digital platforms can be harnessed to deepen organisational coordination and expand the moral reach of collective action.

Video of strike from Tamil Nadu

In Haryana’s Kurukshetra, where the SKM is scheduled to hold its National Council meeting on February 24, the emphasis is already shifting from assessment to escalation. The coming phase, leaders indicate, will be shaped both independently and in coordination with trade unions and agricultural workers’ platforms.

If the Modi led BJP – NDA government reads February 12 as a routine disruption, it may be misreading the mood. What unfolded across India was less a stoppage of work than a consolidation of resistance — an assertion that the grammar of economic reform cannot be written without the consent of those who labour in fields, factories and public services.

Courtesy: The AIDEM

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Well-known in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the All India People’s Front (AIPF-R) voiced their support for the two-day all-India General Strike by trade unions, reported Yug Jagran on March 26, 2022.

Already, Central Trade Unions (CTUs) have begun preparations for the strikes on March 28 and March 29 with virtual conferences with local-level leaders and unions. Farmers body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) also voiced its solidarity and promised that farmers will also protest on those days. By Saturday, IPF President and former IG S. R. Darapuri told the press that his party too will join the chorus of solidarity. Party units will organize programmes for workers, said Yug Jagran.

Largely, the strike will condemn the government’s recent “pro-corporate” policies like the four labour codes that propose to increase working hours to 12 hours among other things, increasing inflation, privatization of PSUs and similar laws. For example, even farmers condemned the Electricity Amendment Bill 2021 that increases privatisation in the power sector and does away with subsidies. This negatively affects farmers who provide food for the whole country and only benefits corporations. Similarly, the sale of the banking sector, railways and insurance companies is another concern of workers.

These moves are especially concerning for the workers in post-pandemic times when the employment crisis is worsening and experts are discussing a possible economic crisis in some parts of the country.

Regarding the central government, Darapuri told Yug Jagran that the Modi-led government has let out a “flood of attacks” against the public after Assembly elections. He spoke about LPG prices that have increased by ₹ 50. The wholesale price of diesel has also increased by ₹ 25 and the retail price of petrol and diesel continues to go up. Similarly, the interest rates of workers’ EPF were recently reduced. The move was criticised by many because it affects the savings made by workers soon to retire.

During the last virtual conference on March 24, leaders voiced confidence of widespread response. Stressing that protests are integral to the constitutional spirit, unions from various states called upon the general public to join protests.

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Preparations are in full swing for the two-day All India General Strike slated to begin on March 28, 2022. On March 22, the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTU) held a meeting in Delhi to take stock of the preparations in various states and sectors.

Workers will gather to protest the anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national policies of the central government. For this, invested unions have started to prepare a week early with sector-wise conventions in public sector undertakings as well as private sector and the unorganised sectors such as scheme workers, domestic workers, hawkers, beedi workers, construction workers, etc.

Others like Haryana’s roadways transport workers and Chandigarh’s electricity workers will also join “inspite of the impending threat of the Essential Services Maintenance Act.” Further, the financial sector including Banking and Insurance will also demonstrate with other unions.

“The strike notices given by unions in the sectors such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks, insurance among others. The Unions in Railways and Defence sector would be making mass mobilization in support of strikes at several hundreds of spots,” said CTU in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, leaders attending the meeting were emboldened by the results of the recently held state elections. Moreover, they welcomed the reiteration by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) of farmers observing a rural bandh on the days of the general strike.

Unions condemned the BJP-led central government for reducing the interest rate on PF accumulations from 8.5 percent to 8.1 percent, the sudden hike in Petrol, LPG, Kerosene, CNG etc. They also condemned the government’s attempt to implement their programme of Monetization (PSU Land bundles).

“[The government is] held back only because of the worsening condition of inflation and crashing share markets,” said CTUs. Members resolved to hold more virtual meetings to decry the anti-labour policies and the four labour codes.

“The Platform of CTUS and Sectoral Federations and Associations calls upon all sections of society to extend their support to the strike called under the slogan ‘Save People, Save Nation’,” said CTU.

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