Bengaluru is witnessing a dramatic fracture in India’s trade union landscape ahead of Thursday’s nationwide Bharat Bandh. While 10 central unions and farmer organizations protest what they call the government’s anti-worker agenda, Karnataka’s NFITU has firmly opted out, endorsing the very reforms under fire.
President V. Venkatesh minced no words: ‘This is all politics. Our union stays away.’ He defended the government’s labor overhaul as pro-worker, directing affiliates to work normally. Blasting left parties for politicizing the issue, Venkatesh lauded the new Labor Codes as historic.
‘The Wage Code brings nationwide parity after years of delay—kudos to PM Modi, Minister Mandaviya, and Secretary Gurnani,’ he said. In a recent sit-down with Mandaviya on January 16, he pushed for higher PF limits. The fixed-term employment for trainees, offering gratuity post-training, was hailed as transformative, ending abrupt terminations.
‘Politics has no place here. The minister offers talks—why strike?’ Venkatesh challenged, alleging some unions boycotted a key meeting. He predicted patchy participation: public enterprises and private firms largely unaffected, with only ideologically driven pockets joining in.
Opposing unions, however, vow widespread action, warning of hits to essential services like banks, power grids, transport, hospitals, schools, and utilities. This rift underscores evolving dynamics in India’s labor politics, where reform backers challenge traditional strike calls.