Almost 180 million people have called for a day long strike in protest of poor minimum wage and governmental anti-worker ethics, which include Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s future plans to increase privatisation.
The strike was called by the central trade unions and saw thousands upon thousands of banks, factories, offices and public transport close. The general secretary of the Centre of the Indian Trade Unions said “The unprecedented response to the strike, despite the misinformation campaign unleashed by the BJP government aided by BMS, reflects the anger and resentment of the workers against the attacks on their working and living conditions by the neoliberal agenda of the BJP led government.”
However, a senior labour ministry official said “The impact of the nation-wide strike has been minimal in most of the states.” They claim the strike had little effect, with only minimal impact on day to day business.
The strike was most effective in Kerala and Karnataka, two states run by the Left Democratic Front and Indian National Congress, oppositions to the ruling party. New Delhi and Mumbai, where India’s population and business is densest, was not affected that much. Transport, power, water, schools and banks all remained open.
