A national convention of workers, convened by ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) in Delhi on Friday (January 9, 2026), has given a call for a general strike on February 12 against the Union government’s decision to implement the four Labour Codes. The trade unions have also threatened of an indefinite strike if the Government does not withdraw the Codes immediately. The Union Labour Ministry had pre-published the draft Rules for the four Codes recently, as part of implementing them.
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A declaration adopted at the convention said the Codes are being implemented to contain and weaken the trade unions and place the working class movement disarmed in face of the “onslaught of capital.” The CTUs had held five general strikes since the passage of the four Labour Codes in Parliament, between 2019 and 2020. “This has come in a background of a worrisome situation of deteriorating economy, growing unemployment, increased attack on the democratic rights of people, venomous campaigns of polarisation and hatred against the minorities, attack on all democratic institutions and filling them with blind supporters of the ruling party with dubious agenda of obliterating the rights of freedom of association, expression and dissent,” the declaration said.
