300 million workers (1 out of every 4 people) shut down India last week in the largest strike in history.

Virtually completely blacked out by the western media, in corporate solidarity, because this is the future the bosses all fear the most.

The strike was called jointly by labor unions and farmers groups to demand the withdrawal of the four new labor codes and the recently signed trade deals with the US and the EU. Workers and farmers were joined by students, women’s organizations, and other civil society groups who came out in solidarity.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2026/02/12/300-million-on-the-streets-in-a-historic-national-strike-in-india/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #union #strike #india #students #women #solidarity #classwar

@MikeDunnAuthor yeah very annoying that everyone doesn't understand this method

@MikeDunnAuthor
> (…) recently signed trade deals with the US and the EU.

This makes my spidey sense tingle, in the context of a lot of disinformation about the Mercosur deal.

Do you have the details about the India-US/EU deals on hand?

@MikeDunnAuthor
"That’s an interesting piece of information, but there’s no need to jump in with a somewhat manipulative interpretation. It’s not just about 'corporations'; it’s largely about the complex relationship between the government and the farmers.

**Guaranteed Jobs for Farmers**

**MGNREGA** (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act).

It’s not an "office job" or a position in a government department. In practice, it is a statutory guarantee of employment that serves as a specific safety net for rural residents.

Here is how it works in practice:

**1. A Legal Right to Work**
Every rural household is entitled to at least **100 days of paid manual labor** in every financial year. If an adult family member volunteers for work, the state **must** provide it.

**2. Type of Tasks Performed**
This is not farm work for a private owner, but labor on public projects designed to develop local infrastructure. It most commonly includes:

* Construction of irrigation systems and canals.
* Tree planting and forest conservation.
* Building rural roads.
* Water harvesting and land development projects.

**3. "Work-as-Welfare"**
If the government is unable to provide work within **15 days** of the application, it is mandated to pay the applicant an unemployment allowance. This ensures that farmers who, for instance, have lost their crops due to drought, can still earn a survival minimum.

**Why are farmers fighting for this?**
In the context of the current strikes (February 2026), farmers are demanding:

* **Increasing the number of days:** They want to extend the guarantee from 100 to **200 days** a year.
* **Higher rates:** Current daily wages are often very low (frequently below the market minimum wage).
* **Timely payments:** The government has significant delays in payouts, which is a critical issue for protesters given the rising

@SpaciousCoder78 @MikeDunnAuthor Strikes were much more common in India in our childhood when one was called every month or two. Now they are fewer and far between but ordinary people mostly ignore them unless they reach bank of office to find them on strike. Sometimes it is spontaneous, but mostly it is forcefully enforced by political leader and their muscle men. The importance on unions and protest has been diluted by their overuse. Present day governments forcefully opposes strikes by opposition but facilitates one called by themselves. General public has to respond accordingly.