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MGNREGA Row: Trade unions in Ludhiana accuse Centre of undermining rights of workers
The unions submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the assistant labour commissioner, demanding the immediate reinstatement of MGNREGA
In a strong show of dissent against the Centre’s labour and economic policies, various trade unions under the banner of the United Front of Trade Unions, Ludhiana, on Monday staged a protest outside the office of the assistant labour commissioner on Gill Road. The protesting unions sharply opposed the replacement of the MGNREGA Act, 2005 with Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-RAM G) Bill 2025, terming it a direct attack on the livelihood of rural labourers who depended on the scheme for employment.
The unions submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the assistant labour commissioner, demanding the immediate reinstatement of MGNREGA. They expressed strong opposition to the government’s move of replacing the Act with a corporate friendly law, warning that it undermines the rights and security of workers.
Union leaders pointed out that over the last 150 years, the labour community had fought hard to secure 44 key labour laws, but the Modi government recently repealed 29 of them, consolidating the rest into four labour codes. They demanded the revival of these historic laws, arguing that the new codes fail to protect workers’ interests.
The protest also raised objections to the new Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Seeds Bill, 2025, cautioning that these legislations are designed to benefit corporate interests rather than the common people. Additionally, the unions strongly criticised the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, brought before Parliament.
Addressing the protesters, leaders from AITUC, INTUC, CITU, CTU Punjab, and other unions including MS Bhatia, Gurjeet Singh Jagpal, Jagdish Chand, Sukhvinder Singh Lote, Ram Lal, Balram Singh, Balwinder Kaur, SK Tiwari, Samar Bahadur, Vijay Kumar, Kewal Singh Banwait, Advocate Sarbjeet Singh Sarhali among others urged the government to withdraw these anti-people legislations.
