Why Protest on 12th February?

Aashray Abhiyan has always taken a stand in favour of the Human Rights, Dignity, and legal protection of our focus communities in Patna: the unorganized construction workers and daily wage earners.

Join Aashray Abhiyan and likeminded friends at 3PM at Kargil Chowk in Gandhi Maidan on Thursday 12 February for a peaceful event in solidarity with the workers defending their rights and protections.

Yes, there's a big nationwide strike (often called Bharat Bandh) planned for tomorrow, 12 February 2026, called by major trade unions like AITUC, CITU, INTUC, HMS and others. They expect millions of workers to join. The main demand is to scrap the four new Labour Codes completely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sfR51Wb674

This video explains the positions clearly

What are these Labour Codes?

The government combined 29 old labour laws into four new codes (passed in 2019–2020 and recently notified/implemented in many states):

• Code on Wages

• Industrial Relations Code

• Social Security Code

• Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code

The government says these changes simplify rules, make it easier to do business, and extend some protections to more workers (like gig and informal workers).

Why are workers and unions protesting? (In simple words)

Unions believe the new laws strongly favour companies and take away hard-won rights of workers. Here are the main reasons they are angry:

1. Easier to fire workers (less job security) Earlier, companies with more than 100 workers needed government permission to lay off or fire people. Now this limit is raised to 300 workers. This means medium and big companies can fire workers more easily without asking anyone. Unions call this “hire and fire” policy.

2. More temporary/contract jobs The codes promote “fixed-term employment”. Companies can hire workers for short periods (6 months, 1 year, etc.) and let them go when the contract ends. Workers fear most jobs will become temporary instead of permanent. No job security, no benefits, and constant fear of losing work.

3. Harder to form unions and go on strike New rules make it more difficult to register unions and get them recognised. There are stricter conditions and longer notice periods for strikes. Some strikes can even be declared illegal more easily. Unions say this weakens their power to fight for better wages and conditions.

4. Longer working hours In some sectors, daily working hours can go up to 12 hours (with overtime pay). Workers worry this will lead to exhaustion and more exploitation.

5. Weaker safety and inspection rules Factory inspections will be reduced (more self-certification by owners). Safety committees and protections for migrant/contract workers are diluted in many cases. Unions say this puts workers’ lives and health at greater risk.

6. Overall feeling Workers and unions feel the government is making laws to help big companies and attract investment (“ease of doing business”), but at the cost of ordinary workers. They say important protections built over decades have been weakened or removed.

In short:

Workers are protesting because they believe these laws will make jobs more insecure, reduce their bargaining power, and allow employers to exploit them more easily.

The government and some economists argue the changes are needed for economic growth and will eventually benefit workers by creating more jobs. But unions strongly disagree and want the old protections back.

The strike tomorrow is part of a long-standing demand to repeal the four Labour Codes. It’s also linked to other issues like farmers’ demands and opposition to privatisation.