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Daily travel, governance, nationalist work delivery, and commercialized activities successful Kerala sputtered to a halt successful the archetypal hours of the 24-hour nationwide wide onslaught called by commercialized unions connected Thursday (February 12, 2026).
At slightest 12 nationalist commercialized unions are protesting against the Central government’s “anti-worker and patently pro-corporate” labour codes. They person demanded their contiguous rollback.
The wide onslaught resonated powerfully among the agrarian population, rattled by the Centre’s determination to “scuttle” the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which assured minimum wage days for unskilled workers.
The ruling beforehand and the Opposition successful Kerala had accused the Centre of replacing the strategy with a watered-down mentation and of slashing national allocations for agrarian employment. The commercialized unions person demanded that the Centre reconstruct the MGNREGS immediately.
Transport assemblage hit
The concern enactment was felt astir acutely successful the State’s transport sector. Public and backstage signifier carriage services crushed to a halt, leaving commuters successful the lurch and driving down the attendance level astatine authorities offices and backstage establishments.
Autorickshaws stayed disconnected the road. The onslaught severely deed the hail taxi and online nutrient ordering and transportation services. Hotels and restaurants mostly closed their doors. Major markets, peculiarly Chalai successful Thiruvananthapuram, appeared deserted. The onslaught disrupted interstate freight question arsenic truckers parked successful tons and on nationalist and State highways. The tourism assemblage was besides hit, with cancellations of bookings.
The wide onslaught besides disrupted the world calendar. School and assemblage teachers’ unions and pupil organisations supported the wide strike. Most schools and colleges closed their doors. Few attended authorities offices, including the authorities Secretariat successful Thiruvananthapuram, adjacent though the Kerala authorities declared a dies non connected Thursday.
Left-leaning commercialized unionists, slope and authorities employees, pensioners, and farmers’ bodies person declared solidarity with the striking labour unions. The commercialized unions person besides demanded the withdrawal of the “right-wing revanchist” National Education Policy (NEP) introduced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government.
Stranded passengers extracurricular the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway presumption connected Thursday arsenic the onslaught called by commercialized unions severely deed the transport sector. | Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
The commercialized unions had exempted backstage travel, including to airports, railway stations and hospitals, from the wide strike. Kochi metro plied arsenic usual. Train services operated arsenic usual. Government hospitals recorded a comparatively debased fig of outpatients, with galore deferring aesculapian appointments owed to the wide strike.
In Wayanad, onslaught supporters concisely detained a KSRTC long-distance bus. In Thiruvananthapuram, KSRTC operated skeletal services with a constabulary escort to shuttle persons alighting astatine the Railway terminal successful Thampanoor to the Government Medical College Hospital and Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) for their aesculapian appointments.
Left enactment leaders and supporters instrumentality portion successful a march successful Kannur arsenic portion of the nationwide onslaught connected Thursday. | Photo Credit: S.K. Mohan
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the onslaught would not upset the docket of the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) Puthuyuga Yatra.
The Congress, commercialized unions, and work organisations said they would observe the onslaught independently of Left commercialized unions.
The wide onslaught volition extremity astatine midnight connected Friday.
