Workers unite: Massive protest against labour reforms in Himachal

Thousands of members of the Himachal Pradesh Committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), along with the Himachal Kisan Sabha, Himachal Apple Growers Association, Students’ Federation of India and other organisations, staged statewide protests on Wednesday at district and block levels, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the four labour codes introduced by the Centre.

In Shimla, hundreds of workers, farmers, students, youth, women and members of marginalised communities marched from Panchayat Bhawan to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, raising slogans against the state government. Protesters demanded the fixation of minimum wages at Rs 26,000, a policy for regularising outsourced employees, withdrawal of the 12-hour work shift and night duty order for women and the implementation of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Addressing the gathering, CITU state president Vijender Mehra called the four labour codes “anti-worker and pro-corporate.” He criticised the Centre for repealing 29 existing labour laws and replacing them with the Code of Wages 2019, Industrial Relations Code 2020, Social Security Code 2020 and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020. According to him, these changes undermine workers’ democratic rights, job security, wages and safety, while favouring corporate interests.

Mehra warned that the new framework would further push workers into contract, outsourced and temporary employment in both organised and unorganised sectors, weaken trade union activities and diminish the scope of labour welfare.

He alleged that the labour codes were implemented unilaterally by the Central government, disregarding objections raised by labour organisations — an act he termed a “mockery of democracy.” Mehra warned that the agitation would intensify if the government failed to withdraw the codes.