The Samyukt Kisan Morcha is also highlighting its own set of longstanding demands on MSP and loan waiver
NEW DELHI – On the eve of the nationwide general strike, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a broad coalition of farmer organisations, has issued a clarion call to rally behind the workers’ strike on July 9. The strike, jointly called by ten central trade unions and several sectoral federations, aims to press for the repeal of the four labour codes and raise other critical economic demands.
In a strongly worded statement, SKM warned that the four labour codes would “shatter not only the rights of the existing workforce but also the aspirations of future generations.” The platform called the codes “authoritarian and undemocratic” and accused the Narendra Modi government of attempting to erode workers’ rights under the pretext of facilitating corporate profit.
Extending full support to the strike, SKM announced that farmers across the country would hold tehsil-level protest demonstrations. These will be organised independently and also in coordination with trade unions and agricultural workers’ unions.
Among the key demands backed by SKM are repeal of the four new labour codes, a minimum wage of ₹26,000 per month for all workers, end to the contractualisation and casualisation of labour and no privatisation of public sector units and services.
Besides expressing solidarity with the workers, SKM is also highlighting its own set of longstanding demands. These include:
• Legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) based on the Swaminathan formula of C2+50% for all crops.
• Comprehensive loan waiver to address mounting farm debt and prevent peasant suicides
• 200 days of work annually under NREGS with a daily wage of ₹600.
• Monthly pension of ₹10,000 for farmers, rural labourers and agricultural workers.
• No privatisation of electricity and no dilution of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, and
• Rejection of the National Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing and the Indo-US Bilateral Trade Agreement
SKM leaders argue that the proposed Indo-US trade pact is designed to benefit American agribusinesses and food giants at the cost of Indian agriculture. “Tariff-free import of heavily subsidised US agricultural products — including milk, cotton, wheat, and GM crops — will devastate Indian peasantry,” the statement said.
According to the farmers’ front, the corporatisation of agriculture and labour deregulation are two sides of the same coin. “The Modi government is paving the way for a corporate takeover of the economy by dismantling legal protections for both workers and farmers,” it said.
The group expressed deep concern over reports that the US has pressured India to end subsidies on fertilisers and fuel, scrap the Public Distribution System (PDS), and amend its patent laws to benefit American corporations.
“The general strike is a fight to protect India’s economic sovereignty. This is a battle against modern-day slavery imposed through free trade agreements and the labour codes,” SKM said.
Recalling the Historic Farmers’ Protest
Drawing a parallel with the massive 2020–21 farmers’ protest at Delhi’s borders, SKM said the July 9 strike could ignite an even bigger movement. “This will be the largest-ever worker-peasant united action since independence,” the group claimed.
It pointed out that this will be the 22nd nationwide strike since the introduction of neoliberal reforms in 1991 and expressed confidence that the momentum of the people’s movement would continue to grow.
The SKM emphasised that ensuring minimum wage for workers and MSP for farmers is essential for boosting purchasing power, reviving rural demand, and stimulating agriculture-led economic growth.
“Without reversing the anti-worker and anti-farmer policies of the BJP-RSS regime, India cannot achieve inclusive development,” the farmers’ body asserted.
Call for Mass Mobilisation
In conclusion, SKM called upon all sections of society — workers, farmers, students, youth, and civil society — to come together in this “decisive moment” to resist corporate dominance and reclaim their democratic and economic rights.
“Let the 9th of July be remembered as the day India stood up — not just to defend the rights of the working people but to safeguard the future of the nation,” the SKM statement said.
