From health facilities and schools to electricity boards and municipal services, public service workers stood at the forefront. They joined hands with informal sector workers, farmers, and civil society groups to protest anti-worker labour codes, privatisation of essential services, and the erosion of democratic rights. 

The strike saw widespread participation across both urban and rural India. Large mobilisations were reported in public sector undertakings and government departments, including postal, telecom, transport, and municipal services. Workers across coal, steel, banks, insurance, ports, and state-run industrial sectors took part. ASHA, Anganwadi, Mid-Day Meal workers, domestic workers, street vendors, and transport workers joined Rasta Roko and Rail Roko protests in multiple states. In many parts of the country, workers braved heavy rains to come out on the streets and raise their voice. 

In Delhi, a public rally at Jantar Mantar brought together union leaders from across the country, including representatives from the 10 Central Trade Unions. Across many states—including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Bihar, and Jharkhand—a complete shutdown was observed in several regions. 

Despite threats and repression by authorities and employers, public service workers mobilised in strength, sending a clear message: the dismantling of public services and workers’ rights will not go unchallenged. 

At the centre of the protest is the government’s National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), which aims to hand over public infrastructure and services to private players. Protesters warned that this will undermine access to essential services like healthcare, education, and transport, while pushing workers into insecure jobs. They condemned the policy as favouring the Indian and Foreign corporates and the international finance capital, threatening small businesses, public sector undertakings, and the country’s self-reliant development.  

Electricity, transport, sanitation, and health workers across states condemned the push to outsource and casualise core public functions, replacing regular appointments with fixed-term contracts, apprenticeships, and the hiring of retirees. These changes, they said, will undermine service quality, worsen unemployment, and reduce accountability to the public. 

The labour codes being opposed by unions are designed to roll back historic gains won by workers over more than a century. They limit the right to strike, weaken union registration, dilute minimum wage enforcement, and reduce occupational safety protections. By raising thresholds for legal coverage and replacing inspections with employer-friendly “facilitators,” these codes leave public service workers—and all workers—vulnerable. 

The Key Demands Include: 

• Scrap the four anti-worker labour codes 

• Ensure ₹26,000/month minimum wage for all workers, including those in public and informal sectors 

• Guarantee ₹9,000/month minimum pension and comprehensive social security for all 

• End casualisation, outsourcing, and fixed-term employment in public services 

• Stop privatisation of public services 

• Fill all vacant posts in government departments and public sector undertakings 

The strike also called attention to broader concerns: rising unemployment, soaring prices of essential goods, and a growing assault on democratic rights, including attempts to disenfranchise migrant workers and criminalise mass movements. Public service workers demanded an immediate halt to these regressive policies and reaffirmed their commitment to a public sector that is people-centered, well-funded, and accountable. 

The 10 Central Trade Unions leading the strike have pledged to continue the struggle through focused sectoral actions, building towards larger coordinated national efforts. They warned that this is only the beginning of an intensified resistance to anti-people policies. 

The 9 July strike marked a major moment of unity between workers, farmers, and the broader public. It demonstrated the central role of public service workers in both the functioning of the country and the fight to protect its future