1928 South Indian Railway Strike
Encyclopedia
The 1928 South Indian Railway Strike was a general strike
by the South Indian Railway Workers Union against plans of the South Indian Railway Company
to lay off over 3,100 workers in order to reduce the expenditures of the company. The strike lasted from June 29 to August 2, 1928 and severely affected the transportation of people and goods across South India
. The Madras government and the South Indian Railway Company responded with a crackdown. Most of the leaders of the strike were arrested and recognition to the union was withdrawn.
in February 1927 and Lilooh in March 1928.
During 1928, there was general discontent among the workers of the South Indian Railway Company over the long working hours, low wages and racial discrimination against native Indians in the railway. At about the same time, the management of the South Indian Railway Company
decided to lay off over 3,100 workers to compensate for the purchase of costly machinery in the workshops at Podanur
, Negapatam and Trichinopoly. Supporters of the strike have, however, claimed that cost-cut was mainly an excuse and that the real reason for the layoffs was to get rid of extremist elements in the railway union. A Madras government official noted that retrenchment was
and a general pay raise for both skilled and unskilled workers. The management refused to raise the pay and explained that the lay offs were the result of a government inquiry.
On June 29, 1928, about 8,000 workers in the South Indian Railway workshops in Negapatam, Trichinopoly and Podanur struck work. The union demanded a total wage increase of 25 percent, a minimum wage threshold of Rs. 30 and repeal of Circular No. 202. The management responded with a lockout. The strike also encountered opposition from some of the union leaders, too, notable among them being S. V. Aiyar, editor of the Indian Railway Magazine and President of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Employees Union and Ernest Kirk, General Secretary of the Madras Labour Union who commented
The striking workers responded by accusing them of "betraying the interests of the workers" and "working against the Central Committee." At a meeting in Trichinopoly on 1 July 1928, Mukundlal Sircar, Secretary of the All India Labour Union, blamed British imperialism for widespread unemployment in India and exhorted railway workers to join hands with the Indian National Congress
and participate in the Indian Independence Movement
.
There was a total lockout on 6 July 1928 and 9 July 1928 at Trichinopoly and Podanur respectively. Vegetable and fruit shopowners in Trichinopoly had also downed their shutters on 6 July in support of the railway workers. A 3,000-strong procession walked through the town. The situation was calm from 9 July to 18 July when the union tried to negotiate with the management. But when negotiations broke down on 19 July 1928, the strike was resumed in renewed vigour.
The strike turned violent on 20 July and incidents were reported from Tuticorin, Viluppuram, Mayavaram and Trichinopoly. There were clashes between railway workers and policemen in Tuticorin and Mayavaram in which a striker was killed in police firing and 63 others were arrested. This was followed by 78 arrests in Panruti
, Vikravandi
and Villekuppam. The workers in Viluppuram organised a Satyagraha
to press their demands. When a light engine collided against a bus in Trichinopoly causing heavy casualties, a crowd assembled at the spot and catching hold of the light engine driver, a European, lynched him to death.
named Kone was bayoneted during another stone throwing incident in Tuticorin. Six were killed and twenty-two wounded during a third incident in Viluppuram. A public meeting called by the Madras District Congress Committee in Madras city was prohibited.
Singaravelu Chetty and Mukundlal Sircar were arrested on 23 July 1928. D. K. Pillai, President of the Central Committee was arrested on 25 July followed by T.K. Naidu, Secretary of the Engineering Workshop Labour Union, P. Mudaliar, General Secretary and V. Aujar, Vice President of the Central Committee, on 26 July. On 27 July, nine more leaders of the strike were arrested. The very same day, M. Pillai, Union Secretary at Tinnevely, called off the strike. The strike, however, continued in Trichinopoly and Madura
till 30 July 1928, when Krishnamachari, the Secretary of the South Indian Railway Workers' Union, and Pillai, treasurer of the South Indian Railway Local Labour Union, issued a statement formally calling off the strike
Minor incidents occurred till 2 August 1928, when the South Indian Railway Workers' Union was officially outlawed.
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
by the South Indian Railway Workers Union against plans of the South Indian Railway Company
South Indian Railway Company
The South Indian Railway Company was a railway company which operated in South India from 1874 to 1951.- History :The Great Southern of India Railway Company was established with its headquarters in England in 1853. The Carnatic Railway Company was founded in 1869. The two companies merged in 1874...
to lay off over 3,100 workers in order to reduce the expenditures of the company. The strike lasted from June 29 to August 2, 1928 and severely affected the transportation of people and goods across South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. The Madras government and the South Indian Railway Company responded with a crackdown. Most of the leaders of the strike were arrested and recognition to the union was withdrawn.
Prelude
In 1927, railway companies all over India took a unanimous decision to reduce their railway workforce in order to cut costs. In response to this decision, strikes were called by the workers of the Bengal–Nagpur railway at KharagpurKharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
in February 1927 and Lilooh in March 1928.
During 1928, there was general discontent among the workers of the South Indian Railway Company over the long working hours, low wages and racial discrimination against native Indians in the railway. At about the same time, the management of the South Indian Railway Company
South Indian Railway Company
The South Indian Railway Company was a railway company which operated in South India from 1874 to 1951.- History :The Great Southern of India Railway Company was established with its headquarters in England in 1853. The Carnatic Railway Company was founded in 1869. The two companies merged in 1874...
decided to lay off over 3,100 workers to compensate for the purchase of costly machinery in the workshops at Podanur
Podanur
Podanur , is a town 6 km southeast of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. Its history goes back to the creation of first and major railway station and colony during British rule. The station has lost its importance after the major railway stations were built at Coimbatore and Palakkad...
, Negapatam and Trichinopoly. Supporters of the strike have, however, claimed that cost-cut was mainly an excuse and that the real reason for the layoffs was to get rid of extremist elements in the railway union. A Madras government official noted that retrenchment was
Events
On June 28, 1928, the Central Committee of the South Indian Railway Workers Union telegraphed the management authorities demanding their response to the union's petition to withdraw Circular No. 202 dealing with retrenchmentRetrenchment
Retrenchment is an act of cutting down or reduction, particularly of public expenditure.-Political usage:The word is familiar in this, its most general sense, from the motto of the Gladstonian Liberal party in British politics, "Peace, Retrenchment and Reform."The manifesto for 1906 Liberal...
and a general pay raise for both skilled and unskilled workers. The management refused to raise the pay and explained that the lay offs were the result of a government inquiry.
On June 29, 1928, about 8,000 workers in the South Indian Railway workshops in Negapatam, Trichinopoly and Podanur struck work. The union demanded a total wage increase of 25 percent, a minimum wage threshold of Rs. 30 and repeal of Circular No. 202. The management responded with a lockout. The strike also encountered opposition from some of the union leaders, too, notable among them being S. V. Aiyar, editor of the Indian Railway Magazine and President of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Employees Union and Ernest Kirk, General Secretary of the Madras Labour Union who commented
The striking workers responded by accusing them of "betraying the interests of the workers" and "working against the Central Committee." At a meeting in Trichinopoly on 1 July 1928, Mukundlal Sircar, Secretary of the All India Labour Union, blamed British imperialism for widespread unemployment in India and exhorted railway workers to join hands with the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and participate in the Indian Independence Movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
.
There was a total lockout on 6 July 1928 and 9 July 1928 at Trichinopoly and Podanur respectively. Vegetable and fruit shopowners in Trichinopoly had also downed their shutters on 6 July in support of the railway workers. A 3,000-strong procession walked through the town. The situation was calm from 9 July to 18 July when the union tried to negotiate with the management. But when negotiations broke down on 19 July 1928, the strike was resumed in renewed vigour.
The strike turned violent on 20 July and incidents were reported from Tuticorin, Viluppuram, Mayavaram and Trichinopoly. There were clashes between railway workers and policemen in Tuticorin and Mayavaram in which a striker was killed in police firing and 63 others were arrested. This was followed by 78 arrests in Panruti
Panruti
Panruti is a town, municipality and taluk headquarters in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Panruti lies between Cuddalore and Villupuram.-Geography:Panruti is located at . It has an average elevation of 32 metres...
, Vikravandi
Vikravandi
Vikravandi is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:Vikravandi is located at . It has an average elevation of 44 metres .-Demographics:...
and Villekuppam. The workers in Viluppuram organised a Satyagraha
Satyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...
to press their demands. When a light engine collided against a bus in Trichinopoly causing heavy casualties, a crowd assembled at the spot and catching hold of the light engine driver, a European, lynched him to death.
End of the strike
The strike was brutally suppressed by the government. When about 5000 striking workers in Mayavaram lay on the tracks blocking trains, the police arrested nine workers and stopped the train. Five were killed by the police in Mayavaram in response to an incident of stone throwing and a shepherdShepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
named Kone was bayoneted during another stone throwing incident in Tuticorin. Six were killed and twenty-two wounded during a third incident in Viluppuram. A public meeting called by the Madras District Congress Committee in Madras city was prohibited.
Singaravelu Chetty and Mukundlal Sircar were arrested on 23 July 1928. D. K. Pillai, President of the Central Committee was arrested on 25 July followed by T.K. Naidu, Secretary of the Engineering Workshop Labour Union, P. Mudaliar, General Secretary and V. Aujar, Vice President of the Central Committee, on 26 July. On 27 July, nine more leaders of the strike were arrested. The very same day, M. Pillai, Union Secretary at Tinnevely, called off the strike. The strike, however, continued in Trichinopoly and Madura
Madura
Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately 4,250 km². Madura is administered as part of the East Java province. It is separated from Java by the narrow Strait of Madura.-History:...
till 30 July 1928, when Krishnamachari, the Secretary of the South Indian Railway Workers' Union, and Pillai, treasurer of the South Indian Railway Local Labour Union, issued a statement formally calling off the strike
Minor incidents occurred till 2 August 1928, when the South Indian Railway Workers' Union was officially outlawed.