Trade union workers taking out a march in Ernakulam on February 13, 2026, following the nationwide strike called by various central trade unions.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
The nationwide general strike called by a joint platform of ten central trade unions (CTUs) against the implementation of the four new Labour Codes, amendments to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Insurance Act, and various civil nuclear liability and nuclear energy laws was nearly complete in Ernakulam district.
Public transport remained entirely off the roads, forcing people to rely on private vehicles. Shops, establishments, and schools stayed closed, while attendance in offices was severely affected. With hotels and eateries also largely shut, those arriving in the city and nearby towns by train faced considerable hardship throughout the day.
In solidarity with the strike, the Left Democratic Front suspended its Vikasana Munnetta Jatha in the central zone, led by Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K. Mani. The jatha had begun its four-day tour of the district on Wednesday (February 11, 2026). Protest rallies and sit-ins attended by workers were held across various parts of the district. Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) all India general secretary Elamaram Kareem inaugurated the meeting at the Boat Jetty. K.N. Gopi presided. Later, Mr. Kareem also inaugurated a dharna in front of the BSNL office.
Mr. Kareem warned that the strike was only a warning against the Central government’s policies. He demanded a complete rollback of the Labour Codes, which, he alleged, stripped workers of their rights to collective bargaining and to strike. He pointed out that Kerala was the only State that considered ways to resist the enforcement of Labour Codes, which were passed by the Centre without adequate discussion in Parliament. Kerala was also the only State to convene a labour conclave to deliberate on the issue.
He accused the Congress of insulting the nationwide strike. The Puthuyuga Yatra led by Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan should have been suspended for the day in solidarity. The Congress, he said, had gone back on its initial promise to hold the strike jointly at the national level. The Congress also restrained the Indian National Trade Union Congress in Kerala.
Mr. Kareem further alleged that mainstream media in Kerala belittled the strike. Not a single outlet published articles highlighting workers’ issues, while major media houses focussed only on whether the strike would be marred by violence.
Published – February 12, 2026 08:36 pm IST
