Over 25 crore workers engaged in sectors ranging from banking, insurance, postal to coal mining, highway and construction are expected to go on a nationwide general strike — Bharat Bandh — on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
The strike is a joint call by the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA), and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), opposing the Central Government’s anti-people economic policies and anti-worker labour policies.
Banking services, postal services, coal mining, State transport services and public sector units are likely to be affected due to Bharat Bandh as per a report by The Hindu.
Educational institutions and private offices will function as usual, as per the report. There is no official announcement about a nationwide railway strike, but passengers may expect delays in train services or disruptions due to the protests, it added.
The entire trade union movement — INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC along with various independent trade union federations, peasants, agriculture workers decided to protest against these anti-people economic polices and anti-worker labour reforms.
Within the financial sector, bank and insurance employees from AIBEA, AIIEA, GIEAAIA, AIBOA, AILICEF, and BEFI are joining the strike. Other unions like AIBOC, NCBE, INBEF, and INBOC are also supporting the strike.
Employees from public sector banks, some private sector and foreign banks, Co-operative Banks, Regional Rural Banks, LIC, and GIC are expected to participate. The All India Bank Employees’ Association, through its General Secretary C.H. Venkatachalam, solicited the support of the general public for this struggle.
The continued economic policies are leading to a huge accumulation of wealth by large corporates and industrialists, while simultaneously causing deprivation and marginalisation of the poor, pushing more common masses below the poverty line.
Despite claims of fast growth, it is observed that only rich individuals are growing, and the poor are suffering.
More concessions are given to corporates, while the tax burden on common people is increasing.
A significant disparity exists where 5 per cent of the population controls 70 per cent of the wealth, while 50 per cent of the population at the bottom possesses only 3 per cent of the wealth, indicating widening inequality.
Despite India having a large young population, unemployment is swelling, and educated youth are struggling to find jobs.
Government policies are resulting in a reduced workforce instead of creating more jobs, and allocation for job generation has “taken a nose-dive”.
There is a concern that minimum wage is not guaranteed, existing jobs are being reduced, and permanent vacancies are being filled by contract employees with very low wages.
Employers are being allowed to increase working hours beyond the international maximum of 8 hours, with examples like Infosys and L&T executives reportedly advocating for 70-90 hours per week, which is seen as an attempt to “squeeze and exploit the workers to maximise profits”. The policy is perceived as “Profit First, Worker Last”.
Inflation is uncontrolled, making the prices of essential commodities unbearable for daily life.
GST on nearly every item consumed by the poor adds to this “unbearable burden”.
The bulk of the workforce is unorganised, facing extreme exploitation, with more than half being women workers enduring “degraded conditions”.
Instead of strengthening laws to protect these workers, rules are being liberalised, aggravating their exploitation.
The public sector is a target for disinvestment, privatisation, and monetisation. There are plans to privatise public sector banks and insurance companies, which collectively manage approximately ₹140 lakh crores of people’s deposits. The question is raised whether these public savings can be handed over to private corporates and capitalists.
Trade unions are being targeted for questioning and opposing government policies.
New Labour Codes are being introduced to replace existing labour laws, which were achieved through years of worker struggles, and are seen as aiding employers while depriving the working class of basic labour rights.
There are attempts to change the definition of a worker, potentially excluding many from labour protection.
Employers are being given freedom to use contract workers with lower wages, increase working hours, deny trade union rights, and “cripple the right to strike”. This is viewed as an agenda for a “union-free environment” and “trade union mukth Bharath” (union-free India) for industrialists and foreign investors.
Agriculture, the main avocation in India, has seen its contribution to total GDP drastically decline, indicating a deep crisis.
Farmers are in distress, demanding a minimum support price (MSP) for their produce, but the government is perceived as allowing corporates to control produce for hoarding and profiteering.
The working class is the “real wealth creator” but unfortunately does not share in this prosperity.
