The Indian working class is gearing for an all-India general strike on February 12 with the support of agriculture, rural and informal workers’ unions, as called for by the joint platform of central trade unions, said N. Kanaka Rao, national president of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of India (CFTUI).
Mr. Kanaka Rao also regretted the Chief Justice of India’s refusal to accept the petition filed by trade unions, affiliated to CFTUI, seeking legal protection and minimum wages for domestic workers.
The strike is a democratic response to the systematic dismantling of MNREGA through policy changes that dilute its rights-based nature, weaken legal guarantees, restrict access, and turn statutory employment guarantee into an indiscriminate, controlled welfare scheme, he said in a statement.
These policy measures are based on the discredited notion that weakening labour unions, limiting collective bargaining, and increasing worker “flexibility” will automatically lead to economic growth, he alleged.
Published – February 02, 2026 11:19 pm IST
