Opposition Trade Unions Call Labour Codes a “Genocidal Attack”, Announce Joint Protest with Farmers on November 26

Ten central trade unions affiliated with the Opposition on Friday, November 21, issued a blistering statement condemning the implementation of the four labour codes, calling them a “genocidal attack”, “draconian”, and a “war on the working masses.”

The unions urged workers across the country to “rise in rage” and join farmers, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, in nationwide protests on November 26, demanding the complete scrapping of the codes.

BMS Hails Implementation

In sharp contrast, the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) welcomed the Modi government’s move, praising the implementation of the long-pending Labour Codes — the Code on Wages (2019), Industrial Relations Code (2020), Code on Social Security (2020), and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (2020).
BMS described them as essential for ensuring dignity, protection, and progressive welfare for India’s workforce.

Opposition Unions Decry “Anti-Worker, Pro-Employer” Move

The ten unions — INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, and UTUC — issued a joint statement strongly condemning what they termed the government’s “blatantly unilateral” decision.

The statement alleged:

• The move was a “deceptive fraud” against India’s workers.

• The rollout during a period of deepening unemployment and rising inflation amounted to a “declaration of war on the working masses.”

• The government was acting “in cahoots with capitalist cronies” and pushing India “back to the exploitative era of the master–servant relationship.”

The unions also accused the Centre of ignoring letters and requests submitted on November 13 and November 20, claiming that the ruling regime, “dizzied with victory in Bihar elections,” felt emboldened to enforce the codes despite widespread opposition.

Nationwide Resistance Plan

The joint platform called on workers to:

• Wear black badges at workplaces as a mark of defiance.

• Conduct gate meetings and street-corner meetings starting Monday.

• Mobilise in full force on November 26 to oppose both the labour codes and the draft Shram Shakti Niti 2025.

The unions stated that these actions were necessary to “expose the government’s designs of enslaving wealth producers to profit mongers.”

“Virtual Slavery” and Loss of Rights, Say Unions

The statement asserted that the implementation of the codes:

• Was “arbitrary and undemocratic,”

• “defied all democratic ethos,”

• “wrecked the character of the welfare state,”

• And threatened to “snatch away every right and entitlement” of workers.

They recalled years of protests, including multiple general strikes, since the codes were passed after repealing 29 existing central labour laws.

Calling the move a historic blow to India’s working class, the unions warned:

“The codes, if implemented, will extinguish the hopes, faith and aspirations of generations to come.”