Bharat Bandh Nationwide Strike

🧨 What’s Happening

Over 25 crore workers across various sectors—including banking, insurance, postal services, coal mining, construction, highways, and public sector units—are staging a nationwide strike today. Led by a joint forum of 10 central trade unions, this is one of the biggest mobilisations India has seen in recent years

💡 Key Grievances

The unions are demanding government action on a 17‑point charter submitted last year, addressing issues such as:

Erosion of labour rights under four new labour codes
Push for privatisation of public sector units
Growing use of contractual and outsourced jobs
No Indian Labour Conference held for a decade
Rising unemployment and inflation pressures on workers and farmers

👥 Who’s Involved

Unions: AITUC, INTUC, CITU, HMS, SEWA, TUCC, AICCTU, AIUTUC, LPF, UTUC are all participating
Farmers & Rural Labour: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha and several rural labour groups are also backing the strike, particularly in villages

🚧 What’s Disrupted

Closed or severely affected sectors include:

Banking & insurance: Most public sector and cooperative banks are shut; cheque clearing, cash services & customer support are halted
Postal services: Mail delivery and counter operations largely inactive.
Public transport: State-run buses, labor in highways and transport unions have joined protests—expect halted or erratic service
Coal mining and PSUs: Workers in NMDC, steel plants, coal mines, etc., are on strike.

Partially operational / minimally affected:

Railways & metros: No formal rail strike—though local delays common due to protests near stations
Education: Schools and colleges largely remain open unless local transport issues arise
Private offices, shops, markets: Expected to operate normally, though attendance may dip due to commuting difficulties
Essential services: Hospitals, police, emergency utilities, airports, and metros are mostly unaffected .

🏦 State Spotlight: Gujarat

In Gujarat, around 20,000 bank employees are striking, impacting operations across 3,678 branches and potentially affecting transactions worth about ₹15,000 crore

🚦 Public Advice

Travel: Use alternative digital/banking channels; anticipate bus and train delays; check local transport advisories.
Planning: Postpone non-essential travel, banking tasks, or postal visits.
Stay informed: Local administration has deployed extra security; follow news alerts for updates.

🧭 Bigger Picture

This Bharat Bandh is framed by unions as a stand against “anti‑worker, anti‑farmer, pro‑corporate” reforms—especially new labour laws and privatisation moves

✅ Final Take

Banks, post offices, public transport, mining & PSUs are heavily hit.
Healthcare, education, private offices, and markets largely carry on, but commuting and service delays are likely.
Stay safe, plan ahead, and check for real-time advisories.