Sat Jul 05 21:50:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten news article based on it:
**Summary:**
Senior trade union leader Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress, announced a nationwide strike planned for July 9th. The strike, involving ten Central Trade Unions, targets the Narendra Modi government’s policies and seeks to address issues of unemployment and worker rights. Key demands include job creation, revival of the old pension scheme, a national minimum wage, increased workdays under MGNREGA, and improved pension benefits. Kaur criticizes the government for prioritizing a few corporations, suppressing worker agitations, and disregarding trade union consultations. The strike anticipates participation from various sectors, including banking, insurance, steel, coal, and defense, with support expected from opposition parties and potentially even unions affiliated with the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.
**News Article:**
**Nationwide Strike Looms: Trade Unions to Protest Modi Government Policies**
*New Delhi, July 6, 2025* – A major nationwide strike is set to disrupt several key sectors on July 9th as ten Central Trade Unions prepare to protest the Narendra Modi government’s economic and labor policies. Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), announced the strike in an interview, emphasizing it as the start of a sustained battle for workers’ and farmers’ rights.
The unions are demanding immediate action on a 17-point charter that includes addressing the growing unemployment crisis, reviving the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) instead of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), a national minimum wage of ₹26,000 per month, increasing workdays under MGNREGA, a minimum PF pension of ₹9,000 per month, and a ₹6,000 monthly pension for those not covered by any schemes.
Kaur accused the government of undermining trade union rights, promoting crony capitalism that favors a few large corporations (Adani and Ambani), and neglecting consultations with labor representatives. She claimed the government is intimidating states into implementing controversial Labor Codes under the guise of attracting investment. “The reason for declining investment is not workers,” Kaur asserted. “It’s because of our government’s economic and social policies and also the global economic slowdown.”
The strike is expected to impact banking, insurance, steel, coal, minerals, petroleum, and defense sectors. While rail workers will mobilize in support, a full-scale rail strike is not planned. Kaur anticipates significant participation in states like Assam, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Punjab, Bihar, Kerala, and West Bengal. Opposition parties have reportedly pledged their support. There are even hints that some unions affiliated with the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), a traditionally pro-government union, may offer their support.
The strike is seen as a critical move by trade unions to challenge the government’s economic direction and advocate for the rights of workers and the unemployed in the face of perceived government inaction.
First Piper 