Around 25 crore workers are expected to participate in the Bharat Bandh on Thursday. Ten central trade unions will observe a nationwide general strike in protest against the Centre’s policies, such as privatisation of public sector units and new labour and farm laws.

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), which is aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will not take part in the all-India strike. "It is clarified that BMS and its units will not participate this politically motivated strike on 26th November 2020," said the BMS in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a joint forum comprising ten central trade unions on Tuesday issued a statement, saying: "Preparations are in full swing for 26th November all-India strike. We expect more than 25 crore workers to take part in the strike this time."  

On Monday, Left and Congress activists took to the streets in West Bengal`s Kolkata to back the all-India strike call. They further set ablaze effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, vowing to resist any effort to make the strike unsuccessful.

Which unions are participating?

Key demands

Who all are supporting?

Bank strike 

Strike on 26 November 2020: Key demands
As per the union leaders, here are the major demands:

Withdrawal of all "anti-farmer laws and anti-worker labour codes"
Payment of Rs 7,500 in the accounts of each non-tax paying family
Monthly supply of 10 kg of food grains to needy families
MGNREGS expansion to give 200 workdays every year, higher wages and the scheme’s implementation in urban areas
Stop "privatisation of the public sector, including the financial sector, and stop corporatisation of government-run manufacturing and service entities like railways, ordinance factories, ports etc."
Withdrawal of the "draconian circular on forced premature retirement of government and PSU employees"
Pension to all, scrapping of NPS (National Pension System) and the reimposition of earlier pension with improvement in EPS-95 (Employees` Pension Scheme-1995 run by retirement fund body EPFO)
Bharat Bandh 2020: Who all are supporting?
The Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations in the central and state government employees and in the public sector enterprises have issued the strike notice in most part of the country.

The industrial units in the private sector have also got the notices to this effect mostly everywhere.

As per the joint statement, scheme workers, construction workers, beedi workers, domestic workers, agricultural workers, vendors, hawkers, self-employed in rural as well as urban India will come on streets for chakka jam.

In most of the states, auto and taxi drivers have also decided to stay off the roads.

In a bid to express their solidarity to November 26 strike call, the federations of railway and defence employees have decided for large mobilisation on the day.

The united platform of the peasants` organisations, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), have also extended support to the general strike. "It is heartening that the peasants, who are already in the midst of the struggle against the draconian farm laws passed by the Modi govt, support the workers fighting against the anti-worker measures of this government," read the statement. Meanwhile, the trade unions have decided to back a two-day farmers` agitation on November 26 and November 27. 

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