CITU-led workers protest against four labour codes, block road in Madurai

Nearly 350 workers’ union and federation members, including about 150 women, blocked the road in front of Madurai railway junction on Tuesday, demanding repeal of the four labour codes brought out by the Union government.

The protesters, led by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and affiliated bodies, alleged that the labour codes were a direct threat to workers’ interests, as they would weaken job stability and dismantle long-standing social security benefits.

Led by CITU Madurai district president M. Balasubramanian, the protesters termed the four labour codes ‘dictatorial.’ Mr. Balasubramanian said the laws snatched away the rights earned through the blood and the sweat of generations, and were enacted without consulting workers’ representatives or opposition parties.

Drawing a parallel to the Independence movement by invoking the legacy of Bhagat Singh, he said the freedom fighter’s resistance against colonial labour laws was not just act of violence, but a symbolic move to force an indifferent government to hear the grievances of the working class.

Mr. Balasubramanian accused the BJP-led Union government of prioritising the interests of large corporates and neglecting the needs of ‘native, poor, and dedicated workers.’

Compressing 44 labour laws into four codes, he said, would make it easier for employers to casualise work, replace permanent posts with contract and fixed‑term jobs, and weaken collective bargaining. Rights such as union recognition, job security and social security were not gifts from any government but outcome of decades of sacrifice and struggle, he stressed.

Addressing the gathering, CITU Madurai city district secretary R. Lenin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘ease of doing business’ policy benefited only corporates, while leaving struggling labourers to face an increasingly uncertain future.

He said the new codes would make it harder to form unions, and further facilitate arbitrary dismissals, lengthen working hours and reduce accountability for the employers.

The protesters representing transport, construction, local body, anganwadi, health, cooperative, Tasmac and other unorganised sector unions marched carrying red flags from Periyar bus stand to the junction, raising slogans against the “anti‑labour” codes and pledging to safeguard existing welfare measures.

As they blocked the road, demanding that the Centre hold consultations with trade unions and call back the codes, police detained the protesters.

The protesters said Tuesday’s protest was part of a State‑wide agitation and a precursor to a proposed all‑India strike by trade unions if the government failed to repeal the labour codes.