CITU stages protest in Mangaluru against Centre’s Shram Shakti Policy-2025
Mangaluru, Nov 27, 2025: Accusing the Narendra Modi-led Union government of pursuing “corporate-friendly and anti-worker policies”, the CITU on Tuesday staged a protest near the Clock Tower here, calling for statewide demonstrations against the proposed Shramashakti Policy–2025 (Draft National Labor and Employement Policy).
Inaugurating the protest, CITU Dakshina Kannada district president B.M. Bhatt said the draft policy was “unconstitutional” and ran contrary to the recommendations of the First National Labour Commission constituted in 1969 to implement the Directive Principles of the Constitution. He alleged that the policy, along with the implementation of the four labour codes, would push the country’s workforce “back into conditions akin to bonded labour”.
CITU district vice-president Vasanth Achari said the policy would give domestic and foreign corporates sweeping freedom to override labour codes framed under the liberalisation regime, posing “grave risks” to workers’ rights and protections.
District general secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal, delivering the preliminary address, criticised the Union government for not convening the Indian Labour Conference in the last 11 years and termed the draft Shramashakti Policy a “conspiracy to strip crores of workers of their rights and livelihoods”.
CITU district vice-president Sukumara Tokkottu also addressed the gathering.
As part of the protest, participants burnt copies of the draft policy and demanded that the government withdraw the proposal immediately.
CITU district leaders Yogish Jappinamogaru, J. Balakrishna Shetty, Vasanthi Kuppepadavu, Bhavya Muchchuru, Jayanth Nayak, Jayanthi Shetty, Lakshmi Moodbidri, Lolakshi Bantwal, Eshwari Beltangady, Jayalakshmi Jappinamogaru, Santosh R.S., farmer leader Krishnappa Salyan, Sadashiv Das, DYFI district leader Rizwan Harekala, and progressive thinker Ramesh Ullal were among those who participated.
