The workers and employees in banks, insurance companies did not enter their work places anywhere in India. The coal, Vizag steel, oil and LPG plants, powergrid, copper, telecom sector, cement sector workers struck work in a big way from the morning of 28th March. Electricity Workers went on strike in all the states, including in Maharashtra, where the Government had invoked ESMA. The port workers at Tuticorin and Paradip also struck work. The Kerala state unions began strike action from midnight of 27-28 March itself. The employees of Railways and Defence sector are reported to have organized militant demonstrations at more than one thousand places across the country.

The Anganwadi, ASHA, Mid-day Meal and Domestic Workers, Construction, Beedi and Agricultural Workers, Hawkers-vendors joined the strike and participated in protest actions in several hundreds of spots in Chakka jam, road roko, rail rook programmes in various parts of the country. The Road Transport workers in Haryana began their strike by picketing at Depots from early morning of 28th March, also in defiance of ESMA and continued on 29th. Private sector industrial units including many MNCs witnessed massive strike action on both the days in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Haryana. Hydel power projects also witnessed massive strike in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.

There is bandh like situation in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tripura, Assam, Haryana, Jharkhand and also in many districts in other states. The strike is substantial in the industrial areas in the states of Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. The Security Workers even in Sikkim have gone on strike. The Industrial areas of Delhi, HP, Gujarat, J&K, are reported strike. 50000 Government employees picketed Central Government offices in 300 places in Tamil Nadu. Central government employees in postal department, Income Tax audit, GSI and others too have joined the strike in a massive way. Even Fishermen did not venture into sea in the morning.

The Farmers have mobilized in rural areas as per the decision of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, in favour of the Strike action, pressing for their six demands, along with the support to workers demands. The farmers and agricultural workers also participated along with striking workers in organizing road-blockade including many national highways and Rail-blockade actively.

The strike is in the background when the national resources and the national assets including infrastructure, all has been put on sale by BJP led govt. at Centre for the benefits of the Corporates of Indian and foreign brand. The working class, which creates national wealth, is being made defenceless with draconian changes in Labour laws, weakening their trade unions, taking away their right to strike, doing away with factory inspections, and so on. The voice of workers will be stifled. The serious worries are that the unemployment level has reached 12 percent and the youth below 25 years of age are the majority among the unemployed as per govt's own statistics. When there was advertisement of 35000 posts by the Railway recruitment board, the applications of 1.25 crore candidates reached it among the post-graduates were quite significant in number. The less qualified had to compete with those higher education which added to anxieties among applicants.

In March 2021, 27000 youngsters applied for 13 peon posts in Panipat district court and the applicants had qualifications BA, BSc ,MA, MSc, MCom, MBA, Engineering etc. In the month of September 2021 against 42 posts of peon, gardeners and cooks in the secretariat of Himachal Pradesh 18000 applied which included hundreds of postgraduate and doctorates. Earlier in August 2018 for 62 messenger posts in Uttar Pradesh police out of 93000 applicants 50000 were graduates and 3700 were PhD holders. It was notified that a 5th standard pass with skill of bicycle riding could apply. There is extreme exploitation in private sector with unlimited working hours, no social security or work place safety or even job security. This is the reason for youngsters vying for government department or public sector jobs where job security and other benefits are available, but the government is pushing to do away with it by privatisation policy. The disadvantage sections would also loose reservations in this privatisation move.

The demand to raise the number of days and daily wage rate for MNREGA and similar scheme for urban unemployed people is demanded by the Trade Unions.

The rising prices is serious issue for the working masses. The prices of petrol, diesel and gas are once again rising post elections in five states. In just one week the prices rose to Rs 4.80. It is in turn having cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities making life of common people miserable adding to worsening hunger Index.

The unions have been demanding payment of Rs 7500/ to the non income tax paying families to save them from being pushed to extreme poverty and also to revitalize market as that money would enter market.

National Monetisation Pipeline project is being pushed through to hand over all infrastructure PSUs virtually free to private corporates. Emboldened by the results of election in five states the policy of selling out of land of the Central Public Sector enterprises has been rolled out, the interest rate on the provident fund of workers has been brought down from 8.5 to 8.1 percent, the privatisation of banks is being talked about vigorously, selling of substantial portion of LIC funds, the talks of report of Supreme Court committee on farm laws is being in the air.

The charter of demands included Scrapping of New Pension scheme and restoration of old Pension scheme. The non income tax paying families to be provided.

The unions in Delhi organized a protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar on 29th March 2022 addressed by the Central leaders of the Central Trade Unions (CTUs) among others.

The unionists recognised that the demand of time is to strengthen the workers- peasants unity to put up vigorous struggle against tyrant regime at Centre which has not only failed the nation but is also letting loose the vicious divisive agenda in detriment to the core values of Indian constitution and harmonious living of Indian people with diverse religious beliefs, cultures, languages.

The Prime Minister himself led the campaign for the film Kashmir files and made several states making it tax free. Passions are being raised to hype the hatred propaganda keeping eye on future elections as Dharam Sansad was encashed to divide people to garner votes.

Earlier the Farmers movement for more than one year showed the way to defeat this tactics of divide and now the two day workers strike showed the real India to come on streets for the national cause of saving national wealth and assets for people and nation, jobs to unemployed, control on prices of essential commodities, jobs to all and collective bargaining a democratic right. (IPA Service)