Ahmedabad Mill Strike, 1918

The Ahmedabad Mill Strike, 1918 marked a significant moment in India’s labor movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership. It was during this strike that Gandhi organized his first hunger strike, employing nonviolent resistance to achieve economic justice for workers. He was successful in establishing a model of nonviolent protest.

In this article, you will know about the background, causes, course and outcome -short term and long term of the Ahmedabad Mill Strike, 1918 as a significant step in India’s struggle for workers’ rights and its significance for movement to independence. To explore more interesting UPSC Modern History topics of GS Paper -1 like Ahmedabad Mill Strike, check out other articles and IAS Notes of IASToppers.   

Table of Content

• Background & Factors that led to Ahmedabad Mill Strike, 1918
• Escalation and Initial Mediation
• Gandhi’s Hunger Strike
• Resolution and Aftermath
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Background and Factors leading to Ahmedabad Mill Strike, 1918

• Ahmedabad Mill Strike, 1918 marked a significant moment in India’s labor movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership.
• Under British rule, Ahmedabad was part of the Bombay Presidency and had a thriving cotton industry, making it a significant textile commercial center.
• The title “Manchester of India” was bestowed upon Ahmedabad by prominent Indian industrialists, Ambalal Sarabhai and Kasturbhai Lalbhai in early 20^th century.
• They drew parallels between Ahmedabad and Manchester, a famous industrial hub in the UK known as the “Cottonopolis”.
• Ahmedabad’s location alongside the Sabarmati River and its abundance of cotton and skilled workforce made it a textile powerhouse.
• A heavy monsoon season had destroyed agricultural crops and led to a plague epidemic claiming nearly 10% of the population of Ahmedabad in 1917.
• During the period of intense plague outbreak from August 1917 to January 1918, the workers of the textile mills in Ahmedabad were given ‘plague bonuses’.
• These were sometimes even 80% of the workers’ wage, in an attempt to dissuade the workers from fleeing during an outbreak of a plague.
• However, when the employers announced their intent to discontinue the ‘plague bonuses’ as the plague epidemic subsided in January 1918.
• Workers demanded “dearness” (cost of living) allowances of 50% of their wages on the July salaries in order to sustain their livelihood during the times of wartime inflation.
• Inflation doubled the prices of food-grains, cloth, and other necessities, caused by Britain’s involvement in World War I.
• The relations between the workers and the mill owners soured as the striking workers were arbitrarily dismissed and the mill owners resolved to start recruiting weavers from Bombay.

Escalation and Initial Mediation

• The frustrated workers turned to Anusuya Sarabhai, a social worker who was also the sister of the president of the Ahmedabad Mill Owner’s Association (ATMA), for economic justice.
  • ATMA was founded 1891 to develop the textile industry in Ahmedabad, with Ranchhodlal Chhotalal as its founder president.
• Anusuya sought Gandhiji’s help due to his respected status among both workers and owners.
• Despite his friendship with Ambalal, Gandhi sided with the workers, advocating for their right to fair wages.
• He proposed a more moderate 35% wage increase instead of the initial 50% demand.
• Gandhi proposed an arbitration board with representatives from both sides to negotiate a resolution.
• Although both parties initially agreed, distrust led the mill owners to back out when the workers struck in anticipation of a lock-out.
• He also insisted that the workers maintain a nonviolent stance throughout their struggle.

Role of Anasuya Sarabhai:

• Anasuya Sarabhai was a monumental figure in the history of the women and mill workers labor movement in India.
• Born into the affluent Sarabhai family of Ahmedabad on November 11, 1885, Anasuya faced significant challenges early in life like child marriage and divorce.
• She pursued further education in England, where she encountered influential Fabianists like George Bernard Shaw and Sydney Webb.
• These interactions inspired her commitment to social equality and labor rights.
• Upon her return to India in 1913, Anasuya began her work with marginalized communities by opening a school for poor students of all castes.
• She became involved in the labour movement upon witnessing the dire working conditions, including a 36-hour shift of female workers.
• Known as “Motaben”, she supported Gandhiji and the workers, helping to mobilize and sustain the strike, and published a daily newspaper to keep the workers informed and motivated.
• Anasuya’s influenced through her mentorship of Ela Bhatt, who would go on to found the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) in 1972.

Gandhi’s Hunger Strike

• As the strike wore on, workers’ morale waned, so Gandhi, sensing their frustration and the potential for their resolve to break, declared a fast unto death on March 15, 1918.
• The negotiations failed but strengthened the workers’ resolve and pressurize the mill owners.
• The workers pledged to strike peacefully until their demands were met, inspired by Gandhi’s principles and daily public meetings.
• His fast, meant to restore unity and discipline among the workers, had a profound impact.
• On the third day, Ambalal Sarabhai, the Mill Owners’ Association president, agreed to the workers’ demands, conditional upon Gandhi’s future non-involvement with laborers.
• Gandhi rejected this, instead proposing that Professor Anandshanker Dhruva serve as an impartial arbitrator.
• The hunger strike had a profound impact, intensifying the urgency of the situation and drawing public attention.
• On March 18, 1918, both sides accepted Gandhi’s proposal, and he ended his fast.
• Workers received an initial 35% wage increase, which was adjusted pending the arbitrator’s final decision.
• The arbitrator eventually confirmed the 35% increase, acknowledging the mills’ substantial profits
• His fast had a significant psychological impact, leading the mill owners to agree to arbitration.

Resolution and Aftermath

• The 25-day campaign, marked by nonviolent satyagraha, concluded with a significant victory for economic justice.
• The tribunal’s decision resulted in a 35% wage increase for the workers, marking a victory for nonviolent protest.
• It marked Gandhi’s first hunger strike in India and his second successful satyagraha after the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917.
• The successful resolution of the strike enhanced Gandhi’s reputation as a champion of the poor and a leader of nonviolent resistance.

Long-term Impact

• The Ahmedabad Mill Strike not only resolved the immediate conflict but also laid the foundation for future labor movements in India.
• It led to the establishment of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association in 1920, which continued to advocate for better working conditions and fair wages.
• Gandhi’s involvement in the strike helped him gain widespread public attention and solidified his role as a national leader who was deeply connected to the struggles of ordinary people.
• Through his principled stance and innovative tactics, Gandhi demonstrated the power of nonviolent resistance, setting a precedent for future movements both in India and globally.

Conclusion

The Ahmedabad Mill Strike, 1918 introduced Gandhi to the masses as a leader who actively promoted the interests of the common people. His strategies of nonviolent resistance and personal sacrifice through hunger strikes became hallmarks of his leadership style. This strike not only secured economic justice for the workers but also established Gandhi as the face of India’s nationalist and labor movements.

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