Report by the correspondent of Mazdoor Ekta Committee
An All India Convention of workers was held on 18 March 2025 at Pearey Lal Bhawan, ITO, New Delhi. The convention was jointly organized by ten central trade unions and various federations.
The convention announced an All India General Strike on 20 May 2025.
More than 1000 delegates from workers’ federations from defence plants, steel factories, coal mines, railways, ports and docks, banks, insurance, postal and ASHA-Anganwadi workers’ organizations and other sectors participated in the convention. A delegation from Mazdoor Ekta Committee participated in the convention.
Those who addressed the convention included Ashok Singh from INTUC, Comrade Amarjit Kaur from AITUC, Comrade Harbhajan Singh Sidhu from HMS, Comrade Tapan Sen from CITU, Comrade Harish Tyagi from AIUTUC, Comrade Rajiv Dimri from AICCTU, Lata from SEWA, Jawahar Singh from LPF and Ashok Ghosh from UTUC.
The speakers vowed to intensify the struggle against the anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national attacks being carried out by the ruling class.
The speakers gave several examples of how the central and state governments are suppressing the collective voice of the working class against the attacks of the ruling class. Attempts are being made to suppress the protests of workers against the four labor codes. Even the filing of collective complaints by workers and their unions is being interpreted as “organized crime” according to Section 111 of the Indian Penal Code. As a result, harsh police action, including non-bailable imprisonment, is being taken against workers and leaders of their unions.
An attempt is being made to spread an atmosphere of fear among the workers. The gathering was informed that the government had made every effort to stop this All India Conference. The speakers expressed their resolve to give a befitting reply to the attacks of the capitalists by intensifying the unity and struggles of the workers.
The implementation of the four labour codes is snatching away the rights won by the workers through years of struggle and exploitation is being increased manifold. Increase in working hours, restrictions on the right to form unions and to strike, increasing contractualisation, lack of living wages and social security, severe insecurity at work place – it was declared that the struggle will be intensified against these all-round attacks.
The complete freedom given to domestic and foreign monopoly capitalist houses to plunder the land, labour and natural resources of the people of the country was strongly condemned. Along with this, a call was given to reject the attempts of the rulers to divide and incite violence on the basis of religion, caste and community with the intention of breaking the fighting unity of the workers.
Other major demands raised in the convention were – immediate halt to privatisation of rail, road transport, mines, ports and docks, defence production, power, steel, petroleum, post, telecom, banking and insurance sectors, etc.; immediate halt to growing privatisation in education and health sector and establishment of good universal government health and education system; minimum wage of Rs. 26,000 per month and indexation to inflation; 8-hour working day; equal pay for equal work; recruitment to vacant posts; restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS); guaranteed minimum wage and social security for scheme workers and informal sector workers, construction and gig workers, etc.
The convention passed a resolution in support of the declared strike of electricity workers on 26 June 2025.
With the commitment to take forward the struggle for all these demands, it was resolved to hold an All India General Strike on 20 May 2025.