What Happened
- A 24-hour nationwide strike (Bharat Bandh) was observed on February 12, 2026, called by a joint platform of 10 central trade unions protesting the four new labour codes that came into effect on November 21, 2025.
- Major unions participating included CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, AICCTU, LPF, and UTUC, with organisers claiming participation of over 30 crore workers across sectors including coal, banking, transport, and agriculture.
- Key grievances include: legal strikes made virtually impossible, PF contributions effectively reduced, working hours potentially extendable to 12 hours per day, and easier hire-and-fire provisions for employers.
- The unions also demanded withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill, the Electricity Amendment Bill, the SHANTI Act, and the VB-G RAM G Act that replaced MGNREGA.
- The strike disrupted banking services, public transport, government offices, and industrial activity in multiple states, with significant impact seen in Maharashtra, Kerala, and Odisha.
Static Topic Bridges
The Four Labour Codes (2019-2020)
- Code on Wages, 2019: Consolidates 4 laws (Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Wages Act, Payment of Bonus Act, Equal Remuneration Act). Introduces a universal minimum wage floor; mandates that "wages" must form at least 50% of total remuneration, preventing employers from structuring pay to minimize PF and other statutory contributions.
- Industrial Relations Code, 2020: Merges 3 laws (Industrial Disputes Act, Trade Unions Act, Industrial Employment Standing Orders Act). Requires establishments with 300+ workers (raised from 100) to seek government permission before layoffs, retrenchments, or closure. Mandates a 60-day notice and prohibits strikes during conciliation proceedings or within 14 days of conclusion.
- Code on Social Security, 2020: Consolidates 9 laws including EPF Act and ESI Act. Extends social security coverage to gig workers and platform workers for the first time. Establishes a Social Security Fund financed through contributions from aggregators.
- Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code, 2020: Consolidates 13 laws including the Factories Act and Contract Labour Act. Permits 12-hour work shifts (up from 8 hours) with adequate rest intervals, though the weekly limit of 48 hours remains.
Connection to this news: The trade unions' central grievance is that the Industrial Relations Code has made organizing legal strikes nearly impossible by raising the threshold for government permission and the Occupational Safety Code allows 12-hour shifts. The unions argue the codes tilt the balance decisively in favour of employers while weakening collective bargaining rights.
Right to Strike and Collective Bargaining
- Article 19(1)(c) guarantees the right to form associations or unions, from which the right to collective bargaining is derived.
- The Supreme Court in T.K. Rangarajan v. Government of Tamil Nadu (2003) held that government employees have no fundamental or legal right to go on strike. However, workers in the private sector retain a statutory right to strike subject to procedural compliance.
- ILO Convention 87 (Freedom of Association) and Convention 98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining) recognize the right to strike as an integral component of freedom of association. India has ratified neither convention.
- The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 requires a 60-day advance notice before any strike, prohibits strikes during conciliation and within 14 days after, and mandates a 51% majority in a secret ballot for a legal strike.
- The Code on Wages mandates full and final settlement of wages within 2 working days of separation, a new provision.
Connection to this news: The unions' protest is fundamentally about the procedural barriers to legal strikes created by the Industrial Relations Code. By requiring 60-day notice, barring strikes during and after conciliation, and mandating a 51% secret ballot, the Code creates a layered approval system that unions argue makes legal strikes practically impossible to organise.
India's Trade Union Movement: Historical Context
- The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), founded in 1920, was the first central trade union in India, with Lala Lajpat Rai as its first president.
- The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) was established in 1947 with Congress party affiliation; CITU (founded 1970) is affiliated with CPI(M); BMS (1955) is affiliated with the RSS.
- The Trade Unions Act, 1926 (now subsumed into the Industrial Relations Code, 2020) provided the legal framework for registration and functioning of trade unions.
- India has 12 recognized Central Trade Union Organisations (CTUOs), with BMS having the largest verified membership (over 1.7 crore).
- Joint trade union platforms have historically called nationwide strikes on issues including disinvestment, contract labour, and minimum wage -- the 2016 general strike involved 18 crore workers.
Connection to this news: The formation of a 10-union joint platform (notably excluding the ruling party-affiliated BMS) for the February 12 Bharat Bandh reflects the depth of opposition to the labour codes. The broad-based alliance cutting across political lines suggests that the codes have united diverse sections of the labour movement.
Key Facts & Data
- Four Labour Codes replace 29 central labour laws; in effect from November 21, 2025
- Industrial Relations Code: Strike notice period raised to 60 days; government permission threshold raised from 100 to 300 workers
- Occupational Safety Code: Allows 12-hour shifts (up from 8 hours), weekly limit remains 48 hours
- Code on Social Security: Extends coverage to gig and platform workers; Social Security Fund established
- Code on Wages: "Wages" must be at least 50% of total remuneration
- Organisers' claim: 30 crore workers participated in the February 12 Bharat Bandh
- 10 central trade unions formed the joint platform (BMS, affiliated with the ruling dispensation, did not participate)
- Sectors affected: Coal, banking, transport, agriculture, government offices