The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) jointly call upon the working class, peasants, and agricultural and rural workers of the country to intensify united resistance against the multi-pronged attack of the BJP-led Union Government on workers’ rights, peasants’ livelihoods, public assets and national sovereignty, and to march resolutely towards the nationwide General Strike on 12th February 2026.
The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and Sectoral Federations/Associations has resolved to call a one-day General Strike on 12th February 2026 against the imposition of the draconian Labour Codes and the broader assault on democratic rights and social entitlements. The strike call has been unconditionally supported by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and the platform of Agricultural Workers’ Organisations.
CITU, AIKS and AIAWU express grave concern over the series of anti-people legislations and policy measures pushed by the Union Government. The Central Government has notified four Labour Codes, which will effectively snatch away the rights to association, strike and collective bargaining of the majority of Indian workers. The replacement of MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 dismantles a rights-based employment guarantee, shifts fiscal responsibility to the States, bans work during harvest seasons to ensure cheap labour, and deepens rural distress. The decision to allow 100 per cent FDI in the insurance sector, the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, the Draft Seed Bill, and the Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 together represent a direct attack on agriculture, education, electricity consumers and public sector institutions. The SHANTI Act opens the highly hazardous nuclear power sector to private and foreign profiteers while absolving suppliers of liability in case of accidents, posing a serious threat to nuclear safety and national sovereignty.
CITU, AIKS and AIAWU, jointly along with other national- and state-level organisations, are in continuous struggle against these policy attacks. In the midst of this, several developments have taken place that have had a further detrimental impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people. The Union Budget 2026–27, which has been presented, is anti-people and blatantly pro-corporate. While the Economic Survey itself acknowledges severe global and domestic challenges, the Budget has failed to take any concrete steps to address them and remains virtually silent on the urgent realities of unemployment, hunger and falling real incomes. It continues to shift the burden of the crisis onto workers and peasants through regressive taxation, reduced welfare spending and intensified privatisation, while extending massive concessions to corporates and foreign capital.
Welfare and subsidy allocations for agriculture, rural development, education, health, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women and the North-Eastern region have been cut or stagnated. Gig and unorganised workers have been ignored, while public sector enterprises are squeezed for higher dividends and pushed towards privatisation. This Budget deepens inequality, suppresses demand and worsens the crisis of livelihoods.
CITU, AIKS and AIAWU also strongly oppose the government’s pursuit of secretive and pro-imperialist trade deals, including the recent India–US, India–EU and India–UK negotiations, which threaten agriculture, industry, employment and policy autonomy. These agreements are being advanced without transparency, parliamentary scrutiny or consultation with stakeholders, and will further expose Indian workers and peasants to global corporate domination. The opening of agriculture to the United States may prove to be the deadliest attack on the peasantry of our country. The India–US Trade Deal is also an attack on national sovereignty and security.
CITU, AIKS and AIAWU call upon workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and all democratic forces to intensify the united campaign against these anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-people policies, and to organise gate meetings, village meetings, conventions and mass protests on 9th and 10th February.
Indian workers, farmers and agricultural workers will assemble at more than 1,000 locations in large numbers and demonstrate the largest mobilisation ever. The 12th February 2026 General Strike will be the most powerful expression of resistance to defend livelihoods, democratic rights and national sovereignty.
Issued jointly by:
Elamaram Kareem Vijoo Krishnan B Venkat
CITU AIKS AIAWU
