The Platform of Central Trade Unions and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Tuesday alleged "widespread repression" of workers' protests across industrial hubs, and warned of intensified nationwide mobilisation if the demands are not met.
In a joint statement, the Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and the SKM said workers agitating for higher wages, eight-hour workday, overtime pay and basic entitlements were being met with "brutal police action, arrests, and fabricated charges".
"Workers are fighting for a raise in wages pending for years, eight-hour workday, legal entitlements of overtime allowance, weekly off and basic workplace rights. Instead of resolving these issues, repression has been unleashed on them," the statement said.
Demanding immediate relief measures, the unions called for "unconditional release of all arrested workers, withdrawal of cases and an end to illegal house arrests of trade union leaders and activists".
The joint platform said minimum wages have not been revised in several states for nearly a decade despite steep rise in the cost of essential commodities. It highlighted that migrant workers -- who form the bulk of the workforce in industrial clusters -- continue to live without access to basic amenities, job security or social protection.
"Contract, casual and fixed-term workers, most of whom are migrants, are living in precarious conditions. They are denied the right to form unions and are victimised when they attempt to organise," it said.
Referring to a series of recent agitations, the statement cited protests by thousands of contractual workers in Bihar's Barauni refinery area, followed by similar mobilisations in Panipat, Surat, Manesar, Noida, Bhiwadi and Neemrana.
"These are not isolated incidents. What we are witnessing is a nationwide upsurge of workers on common demands -- minimum wages, eight-hour workday, double overtime wages, social security, workplace safety and dignity," the statement said.
The unions alleged that in Manesar and Noida, police resorted to lathi-charge and detained hundreds of workers. "Several workers were arrested, beaten and injured. Families were left searching for them, while serious charges were imposed and bail denied," it said.
Strongly rejecting allegations of "anti-national involvement" in the protests, the CTUs and SKM said, "We completely reject the false narrative of so-called 'urban naxals' or foreign conspiracies. These are spontaneous uprisings of workers driven by genuine economic distress."
The statement accused governments of attempting to discredit labour movements. "Rattled by the unprecedented assertion of workers, authorities are resorting to propaganda to justify repression, just as was done during the farmers' movement," it said.
Raising legal concerns, the organisations also questioned the practice of placing activists under house arrest. "There is no explicit provision for 'house arrest' under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita or the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Such actions amount to suppression of democratic rights," it said.
The unions reiterated their opposition to the four labour codes introduced by the Centre, alleging that these dilute labour protections and weaken collective bargaining.
"These codes are designed to legalise violations -- extending working hours, weakening the right to strike, promoting fixed-term employment and making unionisation difficult while easing de-recognition," the statement said.
Calling for institutional dialogue, the joint platform urged the government to convene the Indian Labour Conference (ILC), which has not met since 2015.
"The absence of social dialogue and collective bargaining is pushing workers towards unrest and disturbing industrial peace," it added.
On the agrarian front, SKM said farmers continue to feel "betrayed" over unfulfilled assurances following the repeal of the three farm laws.
"Key demands including MSP at the C2+50 per cent formula with guaranteed procurement, loan waivers and compensation for crop loss remain unaddressed," the statement said, also expressing concern over proposed trade agreements with the US, UK and the European Union, terming them "detrimental to national interests and self-reliance".
Flagging rising inflation and fuel price pressures, the organisations said many workers are being forced to return to their native places. "An exodus is underway as workers find it increasingly difficult to survive on low wages amid rising costs and unchecked inflation," it said.
The CTUs and SKM announced that they will hold a joint meeting in New Delhi on May 13 to "finalise a plan of action" and intensify the movement.
They also appealed to farmers across the country to join May Day processions on May 1.
"We call upon workers and farmers to strengthen their unity and participate in May Day mobilisations. The right to organise, protest and fight for justice is a constitutional and democratic right," the statement said.
Asserting that democracy cannot survive without the right to unionise and collectively bargain, the joint platform said, "Only those societies that allow people to organise and struggle for their rights can truly be called democratic."