National strike hits Assam’s Margherita, coal workers protest against four labour codes

Normal life was disrupted in parts of Assam’s Tinsukia district on Thursday, February 12, as coal workers under the banner of the Rashtriya Coal Mazdoor Union (RCMU), affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), staged a sit-in demonstration at Tikak Colliery of North Eastern Coalfields (NEC), Coal India Limited (CIL), in support of the 24-hour nationwide ‘Chakka Bandh’ against the Centre’s four Labour Codes.

The protest, held for two hours at the Tikak Colliery in Margherita, coincided with the nationwide strike call, leading to a halt in the movement of commercial and public transport vehicles in the region. The transport disruption caused inconvenience to commuters and daily wage earners, with essential travel services affected during the bandh period.

The agitators demanded the immediate rollback of the four Labour Codes enacted by the Centre, alleging that the legislation undermines workers’ rights and weakens labour protections across sectors.

The demonstration was led by RCMU President Pradip Ghoshal and General Secretary Mantosh Taye, who strongly criticised the BJP-led Union government for what they termed as the “forceful implementation” of labour reforms without addressing unemployment concerns.

Addressing the gathering, Ghoshal alleged that the government has failed to tackle rising unemployment and instead introduced “draconian” labour laws detrimental to workers’ interests. He accused the Centre of adopting policies that are “anti-worker and anti-youth.”

The union leaders warned that if the four Labour Codes are not scrapped at the earliest, the organisation would intensify its agitation in the coming days.

The nationwide ‘Chakka Bandh’ was part of a broader protest by trade unions across the country opposing the consolidation of 29 central labour laws into four Labour Codes, which the Centre maintains are aimed at simplifying compliance and improving ease of doing business.