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CITU Announces General Strike Against Labor Codes After All India Conference

Visakhapatnam, India – January 4, 2026 – The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) concluded its 18th All India Conference in Visakhapatnam today, issuing a call for a nationwide general strike on February 12, 2026. The strike is intended to protest the central government’s “draconian” Labor Codes and perceived attacks on workers’ rights.

Thousands of CITU members, dressed in red, participated in a rally from the Ambedkar Statue to the Indira Priyadarshini Municipal Stadium, culminating in a public meeting. The conference also saw the election of new office-bearers, with Sudeep Dutta named as the national president and A. Karim as general secretary. Five representatives from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also secured positions in the national body.

Dutta addressed the gathering, emphasizing the importance of the working class and denouncing the Labor Codes as exploitative measures that undermine workers’ hard-won rights. He vowed to resist any erosion of worker entitlements, including the right to 100 days of work in rural areas.

“We will stall the entire country,” Dutta declared, promising widespread participation in the February 12th strike, with workers from all sectors blocking roads, railways, and halting production to demonstrate their collective power.

Ch. Narasinga Rao, addressing workers, highlighted CITU’s success in preventing the privatization of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) through sustained agitation. Rao also criticized the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for failing to honor promises made to VSP workers regarding wage enhancements.

The strike is expected to be the largest general strike in recent times, with widespread participation from trade unions and peasant organizations across India.

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