Trade Unions, Farmers Demand MSP, Labour Code Repeal in Rallies

NEW DELHI, August 10, 2026 — Central trade unions and farmers’ organisations joined forces on Monday, August 10, 2026, to launch a coordinated nationwide protest against key government economic and agricultural policies. Demonstrators staged mass rallies, “Jail Bharo” (fill-the-jails) court arrests, and “Road Roko” blockades at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and across several states.

The joint action, spearheaded by groups including the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU),
All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), saw widespread participation across West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Assam.

Protesters presented a unified list of key demands targeting both labor and agricultural reforms:
 
Repeal of Labour Codes: Scrapping the four central labor codes, which unions denounce as anti-worker.
 
Agricultural Protections: A statutory legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) on crops alongside comprehensive farm loan waivers.
 
Public Sector Safeguards: An immediate halt to the privatization of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and opposition to proposed electricity sector amendments.
 
Inflation Relief: Targeted government relief measures to curb the rising costs of fuel and essential commodities.
 
Rural Employment Expansion: Increasing guaranteed work under rural employment schemes to 200 days per year.

Demonstrations remained ongoing across multiple state capitals and industrial belts throughout the day, marking one of the largest unified labor-farmer mobilizations of the year.

~ BRUCE K. THANGKHAL