Guwahati: The Assam Provincial Bank Employees’ Association (APBEA) held a General Mass Meeting in Guwahati on July 1 to mobilise support for the All India General Strike scheduled for July 9, 2025.
The meeting was addressed by Ramen Das, General Secretary of the Assam unit of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).
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The upcoming strike, backed by 10 Central Trade Unions—INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, and UTUC—is part of a nationwide protest opposing the Central government’s new labour law reforms and the increasing trend toward privatisation of public sector enterprises.
Speaking to media, APBEA General Secretary Gaurav Sharma expressed strong concerns over the four new labour codes being implemented by the government.
“These codes are anti-worker and will result in higher unemployment, removal of job security through hire-and-fire policies, and restrictions on employees’ ability to negotiate fair working conditions,” Sharma said.
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He further warned that the government’s move to privatise or lease long-standing public sector undertakings could undermine institutions that have served the country for decades.
The July 9 strike is expected to see widespread participation beyond the banking sector, with workers from the Railways, LIC, GIC, and various other public sector services joining in. Central Trade Unions and sector-specific federations are coordinating efforts to stage joint protests across the country.
The key demands of the General Strike include strengthening public sector banks and insurance companies, halting privatisation and disinvestment in banks and LIC, and ensuring adequate recruitment in public sector banks.
The protesting unions are also calling for an end to outsourcing and contractual employment practices. They demand the scrapping of the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
Additionally, they are urging the government to recover non-performing loans from corporate defaulters, reduce high service charges for regular banking customers, withdraw the proposed labour codes, and safeguard trade union rights while upholding the principle of collective bargaining.The All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) has also thrown its weight behind the strike. The unions have criticised the government for enacting labour reforms without adequate consultation, warning that the new laws jeopardise job security and deteriorate working conditions across sectors.