Trade union strike evokes lukewarm response in Vizag

The All-India strike called by trade unions against the four new Labour Codes evoked a lukewarm response in Viskahapatnam on Thursday.

The activists and leaders of trade unions such as INTUC and AITUC took out rallies protesting against the recently introduced four new Labour Codes, the reduction in MGNREGS funds, and the Electricity Amendment Bill 2025.

Though trade unions and Left parties took out rallies in key locations, most of the shops, malls, and retail outlets remained open and the business continued as usual.

Banks, schools, and government offices also functioned normally.

While there were some reports of APSRTC bus drivers being cautious in the early hours of the day, anticipating disruptions, transportation sector faced minimal disruption.

The protesters highlighted a series of demands, including regularisation of all contract, outsourced, and unorganised sector workers. They demanded that the workers should be paid a minimum wage of ₹26,000, along with social security benefits such as ESI, PF, and gratuity.

They also demanded that the contract system be abolished and that the government pay salaries directly to workers.

​They sought that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme must be restored and protected from budget cuts.

​Support prices for all agricultural produce must be increased, and insurance facilities should be provided to farmers, they said.

​The Old Pension Scheme (OPS) must be restored, and medical contract workers should be appointed as permanent government employees. “The sale of shares and privatisation of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) such as Visakhapatnam Steel Plant must be stopped,” said CITU leader Ch. Narasinga Rao.

Insurance employees under the banner of the Insurance Corporation Employees’ Union (ICEU), Visakhapatnam Division, participated in the strike.