By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Workers and farmers of India are once again up in arms against Centre’s overall policy framework relating to them which they have termed ‘vindictive and oppressive’. The immediate cause that has prompted them to launch a month-long nationwide campaign to be culminated on November 26, 2025, are the Draft National Labour & Employment Policy – Shram Shakti Niti 2025, and the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2025.
The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has published the National Employment Policy 2025 on October 8, 2025 inviting the stakeholders, institutions, and members of the public to submit their feedback, comments, and suggestion withing 20 days by October 27, 2025. As for the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Union Ministry of Power had published it on October 9, 2025, inviting public comments and suggestions by October 25, 2025. The joint platform of 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and the umbrella organisation of farmers unions Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have criticised both suspecting the real intention of the Centre.
The joint meeting of the CTUs and SKM held on October 18, 2025 decided to protest not only against both of the drafts but also announced a nationwide campaign against the central government’s contentious policy framework relating to workers and farmers of the country. Thereafter, in a joint statement they clamed that the policies of the Centre are increasingly becoming vindictive and suppressive towards common citizens.
The planned to conduct a month-long campaign addressing their respective as well as shared issues. As per the plan the workers and farmers from every district of India will organise rallies, protest meetings, and awareness campaigns among workers and farmers regarding the real intentions of the Centre. They will submit memorandums on November 26 to district magistrates or collectors addressed to the President Draupadi Murmu against the draft Electricity Amendment Bill and the Draft National Labour and Employment policy.
CTUs and SKM has reiterated their resolve in the meeting to continue “coordinated and synchronised actions in solidarity to challenge the pro-corporate, anti-worker, and anti-farmer policies of the Central Government.” Their joint statement read, “The leadership everywhere will submit a memorandum of concerns and demands addressed to the President of India. The meeting noted that it is most urgent for the masses to campaign to safeguard secular democracy, to push back against the pro-corporate, anti-labour, anti-farmer, and anti-national oppressive policy framework of the Central Government, which is becoming more vindictive and oppressive.”
It was also stated in their statement, “New attempts are being made to privatise public sector enterprises and public services, the latest being the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill 2025 and the draft Labour Policy by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Attempts are being made to circumvent state governments to carry forward the agenda of four labour codes, and grab farmers’ land through the state machinery.”
Leaders of the CTUs and SKM said that the Union Government is serving the interests of international finance and has failed to protect Indian farmers, workers, small, businesses and trade against US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime.
November 26 has a special significance in the farmers movement in the country, since their yearlong historic sit-in protests on the outskirts of Delhi had begun on this date in 2020 against the three controversial farm laws which compelled the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the legislations. Their several demands are still to be met which included the legal guarantee for MSP for their crops. PM Modi had promised to address their concerns, a promise that is yet unfulfilled. The joint platform of the 10 CTUs supported farmer, and now they have joined their hands to protest the Centre’s anti-worker, anti-farmer policies.
As for the Draft National and Employment Policy 2025, the critiques have said that the Centre is trying to shift its responsibility and passes onus to states and the market forces, and it shift orientation of the labour laws from “workers’ right” to “workers’ duties”.
Centre has kept the four controversial labour laws – the Code on Wages 2019, the Industrial Relations Code 2020, the Code on Social Security 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020, due to stiff resistance from the CTUs, who had resorted to numerous protest demonstrations which included even several all-India general strike. The last all India historic strike action organised on July 9. CTUs now suspect that the government was trying to implement the codes through backdoor, and now it is trying to do it through the proposed National Labour and Employment Policy 2025.
As for the Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, it represents the first major overhaul of the Electricity Act 2003. It proposes cost-reflective tariffs, ends cross-subsidies, boosts industrial competitiveness, and strengthens renewable compliance and regulatory accountability. Regulatory commissions will now be mandated to set electricity prices that fully reflect the actual cost of supply. The Umbrella organisation of farmers SKM has decided to oppose this tooth and nail labelling it anti-farmer. (IPA Service)
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