B Youvraj, New Socialist Alternative (CWI India)
New Socialist Alternative (NSA) in Pune city, India, took part in a rally organised as part of the one-day general strike held on 9 July 2025. The NSA-linked union, Shramik Hakk Andolan, also mobilised support and actively participated in the general strike.
More than a thousand workers gathered in front of the Collector Office (the government office responsible for collecting tax and other main governmental tasks) in Pune, shouting slogans and staging a sit-in protest. A similar demonstration was also organised in another part of the Pune district to enable workers from that region to participate in the strike action.
I addressed the rally, calling for sustained agitation and broader alliances to mobilise unorganised workers into collective action.
The general strike saw an estimated 250 million workers participating across the country. Ten central trade unions issued the call for action, presenting a charter of 17 demands. These demands included the scrapping of the new labour codes, halting privatisation of public services, ending casualisation of jobs, as well as political demands such as the repeal of the anti-democratic Public Safety Act in Maharashtra.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a united front of various farmers’ organisations, also extended support to the strike. However, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the trade union aligned with the ruling BJP, did not participate.
Workers from sectors such as power, banking, mining, postal services, and others joined the strike. Across many cities and towns, workers and farmers rallied to raise their voices. Transport was disrupted in some areas as highways were blocked by striking workers.
- Read an extract from the leaflet produced by NSA for the strike at socialistworld.net
