Ten central trade unions, including Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) are participating in the nationwide strike on Wednesday that’s being called against the government’s “disinvestment, privatisation and labour reform policies”.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), which comprises about 250 farmers’ organisations, has also announced to observe the ‘Grameen Bharat Bandh’.

This is the fourth nationwide strike called by 10 central trade unions since the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power in 2014. According to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), which is affiliated to the CPI(M), over 25 crore workers will participate in the nationwide strike.

Various bank employee associations, including All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Employees’ Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC) and Bank Karmachari Sena Mahasangh (BKSM), have expressed their willingness to participate.

The workmen staff of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will also join the strike, said sources in its employees’ unions. The All India Reserve Bank Employees Association (AIRBEA) and All India Reserve Bank Workers Federation (AIRBWF) will join the strike in solidarity with the central trade unions.

What are the unions demanding?

The protestors’ demand during the Bharat Bandh includes the Centre to drop the proposed labour reforms. A Bill in this regard was passed and proposes to merge 44 labour laws into four codes — wages, industrial relations, social security, and safe working conditions.

The unions have a 13-point charter of demands, which includes urgent measures to contain price-rise by “universalisation of public distribution system” and “containing unemployment through concrete measures for employment generation”.

One of the key demands has been to increase the minimum wage of workers. While it is a long-standing demand — unions have asked for monthly minimum wage to be set at Rs 15,000 for workers in the past — they now demand the government to hike it to Rs 21,000.

Additionally, the unions have demanded ‘worker’ status to all scheme workers, such as the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and those who work in providing mid-day meals in schools. Since these workers are not officially categorised as ‘workers’, they are not protected by most labour laws in the country.

The unions have asked for a minimum monthly pension of Rs 6,000, up from Rs 1,000. It had earlier demanded a minimum monthly pension of Rs 3,000. A six-time hike in the minimum pension to workers will require a huge budgetary support from the Union government – a key reason why it has not accepted any demand to hike the minimum pension as yet.

Other demands of the unions include a halt in the merger process of 12 public sector banks, no disinvestment and strategic sales of the central public sector units and bar on employing contract workers for ‘perennial nature of work’.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, the unions said, “The attitude of the government is that of contempt towards labour as we construe from its policies and actions. It is more than four years since the last Indian Labour Conference (ILC) was held in July 2015. The last meeting of the Group of Ministers constituted to discuss the 12-point charter of demands was held in August 2015. Since then nothing proceeded in that regard.”

“The government failing to tackle the crises-ridden economy is busy in privatizing and selling Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), natural resources and other national assets which are detrimental to the national interest and national development,” it added.

“It has been over four years since any Indian Labour conference took place. The last meeting with the Group of Ministers was constituted to discuss a 12 point-charter of demands, took place in August 2015. Since then, nothing has proceeded,” the Centre of Indian Trade Unions said in a release.

The government warns of “consequences”

The government has warned central trade unions of “consequences” if they go on a proposed 24-hour nationwide strike.

“Any employee going on strike in any form would face the consequences which, besides deduction of wages, may also include appropriate disciplinary action,” an order issued by the Ministry of Personnel said.

In its order, the Ministry said government servants were prohibited from participating in strikes or protests. All the senior officials have also been instructed not to sanction any leave to the government officials and employees.