All India Trade Union Congress secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said the response had been ‘magnificent’ and estimated over 150 million workers participated in the strike. Major ports were shut down.
Millions of workers across India went on strike Wednesday in protest at planned labour law reforms, the biggest show of strength by trade unions since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office.
They say labour reforms planned by Modi’s government will put jobs at risk, and are demanding it scrap changes that would make it easier to lay off workers and shut down unproductive factories.
Industry body ASSOCHAM estimated $3.7 billion in economic losses from the strike, singling out the country’s ports where exports were left lying on the docks.