There are trade unions in many establishments. They try to organize the workers to fight for their rights. Trade unions face problems like regionalism and caste problems. The Marathi workers in the Bombay Cloth Mills may behave in a friendly way with the workers from North India. But they will not drink even water from their hands. They never visit them in their homes or share meals with them.
When working conditions get tough .and unbearable, workers strike work. Without going for work, they will be protesting. Managements’ will try to break the strikes. They declare lockouts. They close the gates of factories and prevent workers from entering them. Sometimes they bring workers from outside to keep the production going. So the decision to strike work is a difficult one. The workers will have a tough time living without getting their wages.
Let’s see the Bombay Textile Mill strike of 1982. It was led by the trade union leader Dutta Samant. This strike lasted 2 years. More than 214 lakh workers were involved in it and it adversely affected their families. They struck work demanding better wages and the right to establish their own trade unions. According to the Bombay Industrial Relations Act, only those unions who abandon the idea of strike will be given recognition. The only wages. Since they have to sit down for long hours, they develop problems like back pain.
was Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh, led by the Congress. They supported the Management, colluding with it to bring workers from outside. Government was not willing to recognize the demands of the striking worlds. Slowly the intensity of the strike got less address. Workers refused to listen to the call of the trade union leaders who wanted the strike to continue. They went back to their work.
More than one lakh workers lost their jobs. Some went back to their villages. Those who were skilled in machine weaving got employment as temporary workers or moved to smaller cities seeking jobs. The owners of the factories did nothing to bring new machines or improve the working conditions. Some of the factory owners even tried to sell the land of the factory to builders to make apartment blocks and thus get huge amounts of money.
