1st May: Labour Day

THE ORIGIN OF LABOUR MOVEMENT IN INDIA

For the first time Labour in India was driven to the necessity of organising for the purpose of fighting for their rights. Till the end of the first World War Trade Unionism as it is understood today was practically unknown in India. There were a few friendly societies and welfare associations and some of these organisations were rather for the workers than of the workers. But the decade following the end of the war provided a suitable atmosphere for labour to rise and assert itself. The signal for a labour uprising had already been given at Ahmedabad in 1918 where the mill-workers under Gandhiji fought to a successful finish a glorious non-violent war against the mill-owners. The movement which started at Ahmedabad resulted in the formation of a strong labour union which is today the biggest and the most well-organised labour association in India, and is a beaconlight to labour organisation and labour discipline in other parts of the country.

The Congress realised the need for permanent associations for workers to improve their social and economic conditions and directed its Provincial Committees to help the workers in the task of setting up labour unions. At its thirty-fifth session held at Amritsar in 1919, Congress passed the following resolution “This Congress urges its Provincial Committees and other affiliate associations to promote Labour Unions throughout the country with the view of improving social, economic and political conditions of the labouring classes and securing for them a fair standard of living and a proper place in the body politic of India”.

After the passing of this resolution, the labour movement gained considerable mometum, and while the capitalist employers were adamant the British Government resorted to ruthless suppression of the workers’ struggle. At its session held at Nagpur in 1920, Congress passed the following resolution:- “This Congress expresses its fullest sympathy with the workers of India in their struggle for securing their legitimate rights through the organisation of trade unions, and places on record its condemnation of the brutal policy of treating the lives of Indian workers.

  

The Congress opinion is that Indian Labour should be organised with a view to improve and promote their well-being and secure to them their just rights, and also to prevent the exploitation (1) of Indian Labour, (2) of Indian resources by foreign agencies; and that the All India Congress Committee should appoint a Committee to take effective steps in that behalf.”

In their deal with labour class, Congress was motivated by the twin-object of organising them and better equiping the class for the struggle for its social and economic improvement and of keeping them within the Congress fold so as to enable them to join with other classes in their struggle to take the country to its political goal. This double object was expressed by two resolutions on Labour one by the All Indian Congress Committee at Nagpur in January, 1921, and the other by the Working Committee in April, 1922. By the first, a Committee consisting of C.R. Das, Lajpat Rai, Anasuya Sarabhai, G.B. Deshpande and other was appointed to carry out the labour organisation work according to the Congress resolution’, and by the latter, it was felt that “in order to make the Congress resolution more democratic and representative, special efforts should be made by Congress workers to enrol a large number of members from the depressed and working classes on the Congress register.”

Source – All India Congress Committee Papers, MSS, NMML