Bharat Bandh Today: 25 Crore Workers on Strike, Public Services Disrupted

Bharat Bandh Today: Over 25 crore workers in banking, insurance, postal, mining, construction and other sectors will participate in a nationwide general strike or ‘Bharat Bandh’ on Wednesday to oppose the “anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the government”, a forum of central trade unions and their associates have announced.

The general strike or ‘Bharat Bandh’ has been called by a joint platform of 10 central trade unions with support from farmer organisations and rural worker groups. Major disruptions are expected in essential public services including banking, postal operations, transport and power supply.

“We are demanding from the government to address unemployment, recruitments against sanctioned posts, creation of more jobs, increase in days and remuneration of MGNREGA workers, and enactment of similar legislation for urban areas,” the All India Trade Union Congress’s Amarjeet Kaur said. Follow Bharat bandh live updates.

Bengal Provincial Bank Employees Association, affiliated to All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), has confirmed that both banking and insurance sectors will participate in the strike. Though there is no formal banking holiday today, services across branches and ATMs are likely to be hit.

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Trade unions have been fighting against “privatisation of public sector enterprises and public services, policies of outsourcing, contractorisation and casualisation of workforce”, according to a statement released by the forum. The workers’ union forum said it had last year submitted a charter of 17 demands to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

• We have not been conducting the annual labour conference for the last ten years, while continuing to make decisions in contravention of the interests of the labour force.
• continued to push for the implementation of four labour codes, which are meant to “suppress and cripple the trade union movement, increase working hours, snatch workers’ right to collective bargaining, right to strike, and decriminalise violation of labour laws by employers”.
• increased unemployment, alongside rising prices of essentials, a decrease in wages, a cut in social sector spending in education, health, and basic civic amenities, which has led to more inequalities for the poor, people of the lower income group, as well as the middle class.
• Now, the government attempted to de-franchise the migrant workers, beginning with Bihar as an immediate case, while referring to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
• misused constitutional bodies to criminalise mass movements, for instance, via the Public Security Bill in Maharashtra and similar enactments in the state of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh.

India’s power supply may face partial disruption as nearly 27 lakh electricity sector employees are participating in the Bharat Bandh today. Power grids in some regions are expected to be under pressure, especially in states with high union mobilisation.

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“The government continues to impose the four labour codes to weaken collective bargaining and favour employers,” said Harbhajan Singh Sidhu of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha.

But the Union Labour Ministry on Tuesday (July 8, 2025) claimed that about 213 unions, including the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), have informed it that they will not participate in the nationwide general strike. CTUs said the Centre is trying to put pressure and intimidate the workers, but the strike will be a success.

The Ministry says it is ready to hold discussions with the trade unions while CTUs say all tripartite mechanisms such as the Indian Labour Conference have been undermined by the present government.

But banking unions have not confirmed the disruption of services due to bandh, but as per bandh organisers, financial services will be affected. Bandh organisers said that the strike includes employees from public sector banks and cooperative banking sectors, which may impact banking operations like branch services, cheque clearance and customer support in many areas.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha, along with a coalition of agricultural workers’ unions, has supported the strike and announced large-scale mobilisations in rural areas, said union leaders.

Similar nationwide strikes were held by trade unions on November 26, 2020, March 28-29, 2022 and February 16 last year.

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