More than 250 million workers across various states and sectors—including construction, forestry, coal mining, banking, insurance, postal services, and public transport—joined a nationwide general strike in India on 9 July to oppose central government policies that were labelled as "anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate."

BWI affiliates mobilised and organised large-scale protests as part of the Bharat Bandh, or the “All-India Strike,” joining ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and three farmers’ organisations in pressing for a 17-point charter of demands. These include the rollback of anti-worker labour codes; a minimum wage of INR 26,000 (approximately USD 300) for all employees; an increase in pensions; expanded social security; an end to the privatisation of Public Sector Units (PSUs) and public services; and the restoration of the Indian Labour Conference. The unions have strongly criticised the government’s economic and labour reforms, arguing that they undermine workers’ rights, suppress collective bargaining, and worsen job conditions in the name of promoting the ease of doing business.

BWI affiliates who participated in the strike included AHPWDIPHCWU and HBCMMU in Himachal Pradesh; DANMU and DSEWU in New Delhi; NMS in Maharashtra; HKMP and CLU in Bihar; KSCWCU in Karnataka; BMS in Punjab; SEWA in Gujarat; ERCCMU in Kolkata; KKNTC in Kerala; INBCWF, OFMFPWU, NUGCMS, and NOBSM in Odisha; AHBWU and AICEF in Rajasthan; TKTMS, SGEU, TCTU, and AIKTMS in Tamil Nadu; and UPGMS in Uttar Pradesh. These unions held demonstrations, rallies, and protest actions to mark the day.

Dr. R.C. Khuntia, President of INBCWF, BWI World Board Member, and Asia-Pacific Vice Chair, called on the Government of India to engage in dialogue and accept the CTUs’ charter of demands. “The situation of workers and trade unions has been worsening, and today’s strike is not just a call for action—it is a stand for our collective future. The struggle of the working class for justice shall continue. We thank the unions from across the globe for their solidarity and support for our demands and trade union actions today. Mazdoor Ekta Zindabaad! (Long live workers’ solidarity!).”