Central TUs, Kisan Morcha call for nationwide protests on August 13 against Trump’s tariff threats, India-UK CETA

By A Representative 

In a joint statement issued today, 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced a nationwide protest on August 13, 2025, in response to what they termed “economic coercion” by the United States and the Indian government’s “subservience” to foreign corporate interests. The protest is aimed at defending national sovereignty and resisting “corporate loot.”

The CTUs and SKM strongly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threat to impose 25% tariffs on Indian goods and a punitive tax targeting India’s oil trade with Russia. Calling it an act of economic intimidation, the unions accused the U.S. of using tariffs as weapons to interfere in sovereign nations' policies, while demanding open markets for its own corporations.

The groups also criticized the Indian government's silence on these threats and its signing of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA). They argued that the deal undermines the interests of Indian farmers and workers by opening the country’s dairy, agriculture, and healthcare sectors to British corporate control, jeopardizing food security and public health. Citing the example of the India-ASEAN FTA, which they say led to a 70% crash in rubber prices in Kerala, the CTUs and SKM warned that the CETA could have similarly disastrous consequences.

They further alleged that the Central government continues to pursue pro-corporate policies, ignoring the massive strike action by workers and farmers on July 9, 2025. The protestors’ demands, including the withdrawal of four labour codes, legal guarantee for MSP at C2+50%, and loan waivers, remain unaddressed. The statement also accused the government of accelerating land acquisition, environmental degradation, and the privatization of public sector enterprises and services.

The CTUs and SKM urged workers, farmers, students, and citizens to join the August 13 "Day of Resistance" through tractor and motorcycle rallies, public gatherings, and demonstrations. Framing the protest as a continuation of the country’s freedom struggle, the statement declared, “We will not let history repeat! Quit India, again!”

The joint platform placed the following demands before the government:

1. Reject Trump’s tariff threats and assert India’s right to independent trade, including with Russia.

2. Immediately review and halt the ratification of the India-UK CETA.

3. Stop all negotiations on a U.S.-India trade agreement.

4. Ensure transparency and parliamentary scrutiny of all future trade agreements.

The unions compared modern trade pacts to colonial-era exploitation, stating that today’s corporate trade deals are new tools of imperialism akin to the East India Company’s methods.

The call to action is backed by the Ten Central Trade Unions and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.