ABSTRACT
Textile mills contributed much to the numerical strength of the factory labourers in Tamilnadu. Madras, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli were the important centres of the textile industry. A good beginning towards an organized labour movement was made among the textile mill workers in Madras city. It was on 27th April 1918 that the Madras labour union was formed by B.P. Wadia, Thiru.Vi.Ka, and others. The Justicites and the swarajists showed little interest in the organisation of labourers. As an organisation, the Indian National Congress began to evince continuous and consistent interest in the labour movement from 1919. So the workers in the textile mills in Madras, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tirunelveli were guided by Congress activists like Shiva Rao, N.S. Ramaswami Iyengar and S.R. Varadarajulu Naidu.
From 1920-1947, the Communist party had conducted many struggles and protests for the welfare of the mill workers. Some other important events during the period were Coimbatore Pankaja mill-gun firing, the Stanes mill tragedy, Chinniampalayam massacre etc.,
The growing fame and power of the Communist party among the mill workers of Coimbatore irritated the mill owners. Because of this they created trouble for the workers. Goondas were appointed to carry out the attacks. The mastris of Rangavilas and Radhakrishnan mills of Peelamadu served as the leaders of the goondas. Those goondas were provided with uniforms and weapons by the administration. The Communist party and the mill workers union defeated the tricks and concentrated on strengthening their position. Young leaders of the Communist party, who contributed a lot towards the welfare of the mill workers, were K. Ramani, Kannakutty, S. Krishnan, Lakshmanan, P. Viruthagiri, R.K. Pandiyan, Kaliannan, C.A. Balan, Samu, Ponnusamy, Shanmugam, N.G. Ramasamy, Arokyasamy, P.K. Ramasamy and R. Umanath. They remained very close to the workers and worked hard for their welfare.
STRIKE MOVEMENT IN THE TEXTILE MILLS OF COIMBATORE
A strike broke out in the Kaleeswarar mills, Coimbatore, on 30th of July 19271. There was a demand by the labourers for a holiday on 2nd of August, 18th Adi (Tamil Festival day). The manager discussed the subject with the coolies and masteries who agreed to work on Sunday the 31st July in lieu of working on the 2nd August, which should be a holiday. A notice to this effect was put up in the mills on the 29th July2. On the forenoon of July 30th, seven of the workers left their work and went round to the other workers advising them to stop work, to go to the manager in a body, and to demand that Sunday, the 31st July, should be a holiday, and that the annual bonus due on Monday, August 1st, should be paid out to them at once. Hearing of this, the manager discharged the seven men. After the lunch interval, 268 of the employees failed to return to work; they assembled as a body outside the mills and attempted to dissuade the other coolies from returning to work. On the 31st of July, 266 of the coolies did not return to work and about 100 of them attended a meeting which was addressed by one Karuppan, one of the discharged coolies, by N.S. Ramasawami Ayyangar, Secretary of the Labourer’s Union, and by V. Mahalinga Ayyar, a local lawyer. The attitude of the management was stiff. On 1st of August, 45 of the strikers turned up for work. The Manager told them that their services were not required. In the words of the District Magistrate, Coimbatore, “the management seemed to be inclined to teach the strikers a lesson and to engage new labourers in their place”. Thirty new coolies were engaged.
On the evening of August the 1st, a meeting of about 1,000 coolies from the various local mills were called. N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar, the President of the Mill Labourer’s Union, addressed the workers. He told the audience that he intended to ask the mill authorities to discuss the matter amicably with him and six representatives of the workers, and that if a settlement was not arrived at he would get the others sections in the Kaleeswarar Mills to join the strike, try and extend the strike even to the other mills. He also proposed to arrange for 10,000 coolies to be down on the road in front of his Excellency the Viceroy when he visited Coimbatore on the 7th of August and plead with him for justice3. The resistance of the workers bore fruit. On the afternoon of August, the Agents and Manager of the Mills agreed with the President of the Labour Union to the following terms of the settlement.
1. The six’ ring leaders’ to be dismissed and to forfeit this year’s bonus.
2. The other strikers to be re-engaged as vacancies permitted. The fifty new hands engaged by the management during the course of the strike were to be retained in employment.
3. All the strikers except the six ring-leaders to get their annual bonus. 4
But the management did not keep up their word. On the 3rd of August, the strikers turned up for work. 49 of them were not entertained by the mill authorities. The news spread to other sections of the mill. After the lunch interval, 800 workers in four sections of the mill, who had returned to work, sat down by their machines and refused to work. They demanded not only the re-instatement of 49 strikers but also the six ring leaders. The workers accused the management of breach of faith. Prolonged negotiations then took place between the management and the strikers. The management agreed to re-employ the 49 strikers but not the ringleaders. The strikers refused to agree to these terms and refused to resume work. Finally, N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar was called in. He explained to the men that he had agreed the previous day to the six ring – leaders being dismissed. He promised to negotiate further on behalf of these men. The settlement was satisfactory to the workers. Work was resumed and continued for one hour before the mills closed for the day.
Later on, the management decided to send for the six ‘ring-leaders’ and to re-instate them with a warning. On the fourth of August work was going on as before. This strike was of short duration. But it ended in a notable victory for the strikers.
On the morning of 17th August, the workers in the weaving section of the Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving Mills broke off work 10 minutes after it had begun and sat down by their looms. The news spread rapidly to the other sections of the mills. By 9 a.m., all the workers in the mills, 2,400 in number, went on strike. The news reached the Mall mills where first the workers in the spinning section and subsequently members of all sections numbering about 1,200 men struck work by noon. Similarly, the whole of the labouring staff, numbering 1,200 men, in the Kaleeswarar mills struck work after the tiffin interval.
The management of the mills moved the bureaucracy to intervene. The official response was immediate. The District Superintendent of Police, the Divisional Magistrate, the Town Sub-Magistrate, visited the Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving Mills and attempted to persuade the men to resume work. The workers declared that unless the three men who had been refused work by the management were immediately reinstated, or unless their Union President, N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar (who was away at Coonoor on that day), came to the mills and asked them to do so, they would neither resume work nor quit the premises. During the whole afternoon the District Superintendent of Police, the Headquarters Divisional Magistrate and the Sub-Magistrate, Coimbatore, made efforts to induce the workers to resume work. But their efforts bore no fruit. N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar issued a notice to the workers to leave the premises. But his action did not have the desired result. The management gave a notice at 6 p.m. to all the workers that the working hours were over and that they should leave the mills. The workers did not pay attention to this. The manager of the Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving Mills lodged a formal complaint of criminal trespass against the strikers at 6.30 p.m. The District Superintendent of Police was requested to evacuate them from the premises. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate warned the strikers. No attention was paid to his warnings. So the police proceeded to eject the strikers. In the words of the District Magistrate, “this was done without any serious incident and with wonderful success considering the difficulty of the operations”5.
The workers threw missiles such as spanners, bobbins and reels. A few of the police sustained minor injuries. Four “ring-leaders” were arrested by the police. The Deputy Magistrate and the District Superintendent of Police then proceeded to the Kaleeswarar mills where the strikers were ejected by similar methods and with similar success. Here also four ‘ring-leaders’ were arrested and a few police men were slightly injured. At the Mall mills news of the ejectment of the strikers in the other two mills reached the workers. And they, numbering 1,200 in all, left the premises without police intervention. These operations lasted from 6.30 to 11.30 p.m.
Meanwhile, N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar arrived from Coonoor at about 8 p.m. He moved amongst the workers, haranguing them. There was a meeting of the strikers between 11.30 and 12 mid-night, presided over by N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar. In the meeting, he expressed his approval of the strike, condemned the police and the mill authorities as being in league with one another, and generally abused the police and the Divisional Magistrate. A strike committee was formed on 18th August with P. Saranathan, Editor of “India”, as President, and P. Narayananswami Naidu, Secretary of the South Indian Railway Labour Union, Podanur, and K.Subbiah Goundan, an ex-employee of the Coimbatore mills as Secretaries. N.S. Ramaswai Ayyangar and other advocated monster processions and the inviting of other workers in Coimbatore to start a general strike. Meetings of the strikers were held daily, morning and evening. On 21st August morning and evening, the strikers resolved to hold out until the mill management was brought to their knees. On 21st August morning, there was a procession of strikers and their sympathizers through the town. N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar distributed a number of khaddar caps to the processionists. He gave special red belts to the three men accused of assaulting Mr. Howard, and himself wore a red cap. The procession passed off without any serious untoward events; it was on the whole peaceful. At a meeting that evening, Ramaswami Ayyangar proclaimed that the mill authorities were planning to bring labourers from Calicut and that the workers should be prevented from working.
According to the District Magistrate, Ramaswami Ayyangar’s speeches contained a considerable number of passages calculated to incite the audience to violence. With the sanction and approval of the District Magistrate, information was laid under Section 107 (3) Cr. P.C. before the Town Sub-Magistrate against N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar. With a warrant issued by the Magistrate, the police arrested Ramaswami Ayyangar on the evening of 23rd August and he was sent up before the Sub-Divisional Magistrate on the 24th morning. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate declined to grant bail and ordered him to be detained in custody pending further enquiry. N.S. Ramasami Ayyangar applied to the Sessions Judge for appeal. The arrest of N.S. Ramasami Ayyangar evoked considerable public sympathy, N.M. Joshi, General Secretary, All India Trade Union Congress, sent a telegram to the Secretary, Madras Government, stating that on behalf of the All India Trade Union Congress “I protest against Mr. Ramaswami Ayyangar. President, Labour Union, being gagged and prevented from legitimate activities”. The “Swarajya” dated 06.09.1927 commented on the events which took place in the wake of the Coimbatore mills strike. It condemned the “unhelpful intrusion on the part of the authorities” and the way in which N.S. Ramaswami Ayyangar, the President of the Labour Union, was treated by the authorities. According to “Swarajya”, there was little prospect of a settlement on account of the condition made by the management that every striker should sign a new and specially prepared contract of service before being taken back to work. But this question of the contract was waived at the meeting held on 05.09.1927 by the Directors of one of the Mills. So Swarajya wrote: “….A little more extension of this conciliatory spirit, and a corresponding response on the part of the strikers, are just what are required to overcome the difficulties of the present situation. We trust they will be forthcoming in the interest of both labour and capital”6.
The mill authorities were disinclined to accept anything except unconditional surrender on the part of the strikers. They anticipated that after the arrest of Ramaswamy Ayyangar, the strikers would come forward with the help of Ernest Kirk, the one time Secretary of the Union, to negotiate. They were very eager that a rival and more amenable union would be established. But it was a vain hope. They did not succeed in their policy of divide and rule.
In the course of the strike, the demands of the strikers took concrete shape. A printed pamphlet setting forth the grievances of the workers was widely distributed in Coimbatore town. Mr. Shiva Rao agreed to all the foregoing stipulations and terms. They were also put before a workers’ meeting at which all present in the meeting agreed to them.
The Coimbatore mill strikes came to an end on the 9th and 10th September 1927. All the workers in the various mills returned to work with the exception of 15 men whom the management of the Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving mills declined to take back for disciplinary reasons7.
The history of the textile industry during this period 1939-45 is a history of profit making by the mills. In these years of limited supply and huge demand the Mills made very high profits. Working in night shift in the textile mills was introduced for the first time in Madras by 1940. During the war period, machinery could not be imported so the mills had to work in shifts. The 1946-47 statistics revealed that out of 55 Mills in Madras Presidency, 33 had 2 shifts of 8 hours of each, 6 mills had 3 shifts and 9 Mills worked on single shift. Only 7 Mills worked for 20 hours i.e., 2 ½ shifts. This was the only way to increase production to meet the war demand. During the war period, the production of cloth and yarn increased.
There was a set back in production during the year 1942 owing to the Quit India movement. To channalise the production and distribution of cloth and yarn at the home front a control order was passed in June 1943 fixing up quotas for regional sales by the mill sector to ensure a steady flow of yarn to the handloom sector. The Madras Textile Commissioner on the 12 August 1944 launched a “District Quota Scheme”. This scheme was started in order to ensure steady and sure supplies of yarn to handloom weavers in each district. From the annual reports of the South Indian Mill Owners Association, we infer that co-operation existed between the textile control department and the mills.
Most of the strikes in the textile Mills of Coimbatore took place between 1927 to 1945. Mostly strikes originates in the four important mills of Coimbatore namely Lakshmi mills, Kaleeswarar mills, Somasundara mills, and the Coimbatore Spinning and weaving mills. In 1937, a strike among textile workers started in Coimbatore. The Lakshmi mills labourers had taken the initiative to strike first. This was followed by strikes in the Kaleeswarar, Somasundara and Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving mill. These strikes came to an end with the intervention of the Government and appointment of a court of enquiry under sec 3 of the trade Disparities Act. The enquiry commission recommended a wage rise and settled the disputes. However, it has been common knowledge that the ‘general’ strike has always led to the betterment of the conditions of the workers.
THE STANES MILLS TRAGEDY
The first mill in Coimbatore which is now the biggest composite unit in Coimbatore i.e., The Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving mill company limited, was started in the year 1888 by Sir.Robert Stanes with a capital of Rs.6 lakhs. The capital invested was mostly by foreigners. By 1935, there was a change in the management, it was bought by an Indian and this mill is working even today, and is popularly known as the Stanes Mill or “Gopal Naidu Mill”. It would be quite interesting to know that in the early years, the company had only one engine of 70 horse power and carried on work throughout the year. During the year 1894 about 500 adults and 200 children were employed at the mill on wages ranging from Rs.2 to Rs.10 per mensem. During the 1940’s, the capacity of the mill and the number of labourers in it had both increased beyond imagination.
The women workers of the textile mills were exploited badly by the management. Though they were large in number their condition worsened day by day and also they faced lots of problems. They worked for a meager wage of Rs.10/- per month; particularly the women labourers of Stanes Mills were suppressed and faced many tribulations.
These workers were not only harassed with heavy work but also got punishments such as penalties, suspension and termination of work. The women workers of Stanes mills agitated against these practices and called for a strike to put an end to all these evils. The strike continued for many days from the October of 1946, but no solution was found. On November 1946, the men workers also joined them in the strike8.
No proper steps or action was taken by the government though the workers approached them so many times. In the meantime the management decided to run the mill with outsiders, who supported them. The mill workers protested against this and decided to blockade the mill activities. The women workers sat before the mill gate and started a blockade, with the support of thousands of male workers.
The blacksheep who supported the mill owners, stamped on the workers who were sitting in front of the mill gate and entered into the mill. Infuriated by this, the men workers assaulted the traitors. The police force, who were watching came up front and charged the workers with their riffle butts.
A woman employee named Ammu prevented the policemen, when attacked her with riffle butt. The infuriated policeman pushed her down and stamped on her with his boot injured her grievously and in her neck and chest. Ammu died there of heavy blood loss. Severe assaults were made on the remaining women workers and subsequently they all got arrested15.
EFFECT OF THE INCIDENT AMONG THE MILL WORKERS
All the workers of Kaleeswara mills, Somasundaram mills and the Broke Bond company burst out on hearing of the incident at Stanes mills and rushed out of their work place, like waves by opening the gates and jumping over the high walls of the mills. In no time, almost seven thousand to eight thousand workers gathered infront of the Stanes mills. The police force from the terrace shot at the gathering and many workers were injured badly.
After this Stanes mills incident, the police collected information about the Communists of Coimbatore-North and Udayampalayam areas, as they were the key persons and leaders of the workers. The Malabar police force in 3 wagons entered the outskirts of Chinnavedampatti, and arrested the Communist leaders of the three villages namely, Udayampalayam, Subbanaickenputhur and Maniampalayam.
ATTROCITIES IN THE RAJALAKSHMI MILLS
Though peace returned to Stanes mills, the suffering of the mill workers did not end. A woman worker of the Rajalakshmi mills named Govindammal was attacked badly by the goondas, when she was working in the spinning section. Govindammal and her husband, Vellangiri actively participated in the union activities and fought for the rights of the workers. This infuriated the management and she was badly assaulted with spinning wheel’s belts. Govindammal fainted due to this violent action and the mob decided that she was dead. They threw her in the nearby ragi fields. Later, she was identified and rescued by one of her co-workers. In due course of time, Govindammal recovered and more vigorously participated in the union activities. Later, she became a notable leader of ‘Madar Sangh’ [i.e, Women’s club’]
Another important incident was the murder of Mr. Appai, a young and energetic member of the labour union. His vigour and shrewdness was noted by the administration. He enthusiastically worked hard to enroll the workers of Rajalakshmi mills in the union. Aggravated by this the goondas, appointed by the mill owners killed him on 22nd April 1946.
The media played a very powerful role in educating, and mobilizing people in terms of spreading the nationalist and socialist ideas. In fact journalist or lawyers contrary to what we find today, journalism in those days was more of a mission rather than profession and the journalists in those days used this opportunity to the full to create awareness among the people.
CONCLUSION
Besides these big and prolonged strikes, several other strikes of considerable importance occurred during this period. Many other minor strikes also occurred in different industrial units of the country during this period. The events of the major strikes discussed above amply demonstrate the trends and characteristics of the period under review. To sum up, this was a period when the national liberation struggle not only attained a tremendous sweep, it also emerged with a new revolutionary fervour by the massive participation of the working class. Well organized and protracted economic struggles of the workers added a further element of vigour to this new political development.
– Dr. V.C. Francis Xavier
St. Paul’s Institutions, Gobichettipalayam, Erode Dt.
References
1. Kanchi Venugopal Reddy, Class, Colonialism, and Nationalism: Madras Presidency. 1928-1939, Mittal Publications, New Delhi, 2002, p.90.
2. Earmon Murphy, Unions in Conflict: A Comparative Study of Four South Indian Textile Centers, 1918-1939, Manohar Publications, New Delhi, 1981, p.121.
3. Krishna C.S., Labour Movement in Tamil Nadu 1918 – 1933, K P Bagchi Company, Calcutta, 1989, p.76.
4. Ibid., p. 77.
5. Ibid., p. 80.
6. Ibid., p.81.
7. Ramakrishnan N., Kovai Mavatta Communist Iyakkathin Perunmainegu Varallaru, Communist Party of India (M), Coimbatore, 2003, p.61.
8. Vincent Arputham, Labour and Industrial Laws, Southern Publication, Kanyakumari, 2011, p. 101.