Richa7864 at 05:00, 21 July 2025

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{{Short description|Worker strike}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}

The '''1921 Buckingham and Carnatic Mills strike''' was a strike by the workers of [[Buckingham and Carnatic Mills]] in the city of Madras (now called [[Chennai]]), [[India]], against the managing company, [[Binny and Co.]] The strike, which lasted from June to October 1921, caused severe losses to the Madras economy. It also created a rift in the ruling [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]] forcing many [[Dalit]] leaders to leave.

== Causes ==

The Madras Labour Union was one of the first organised labour unions in [[India]], having been founded by [[B. P. Wadia]] and [[V. Kalyanasundaram Mudaliar]] on 3 April 1918.<ref name="labourp545">{{cite book|title=Labour And Industrial Laws|author=Padhi|year=2007|publisher=PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.|id=|page=545|isbn=978-81-203-2985-0}}</ref> Early union activity took place in the [[Buckingham and Carnatic Mills]] during October–December 1920 when workers went on strike in protest against working conditions.<ref name="basu">{{cite book|title=Nandanar's Children: The Paraiyans' Tryst with Destiny, Tamil Nadu 1850–1956|first=Raj Sekhar|last=Basu|pages=241–257|publisher=SAGE Publications Ltd|year=2011}}</ref> The government responded by ordering the police to shoot down striking workers on 9 December 1920 to bring the strike to a forceful end.<ref name="basu" />

There was widespread unrest among the workers over the low wages and poor working conditions. Their demands were supported by Indian nationalists [[C. Rajagopalachari]], [[S. Kasturi Ranga Iyengar]], [[A. Rangaswami Iyengar]], Singaravelu Chetty, [[V. Chakkarai Chettiar]] and [[S. Satyamurti]] and by the self-rule supporting [[Indian National Congress]] as well as the pro-British [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]].<ref name="reddy">{{cite book|title=Working class and freedom struggle: Madras presidency, 1918–1922|pages=58–59|first=Kanchi Venugopal|last=Reddy|id=|publisher=Mittal Publications|year=2005|isbn=81-8324-011-9}}</ref>

== Events ==

On 20 May 1921, the workers in the Spinning Department of the [[Buckingham and Carnatic Mills]] refused to work until the management agreed to discuss their wage rise demands.<ref name="basu" /> The protest reached serious proportions when an official strike was declared on 20 June.<ref name="reddy" /> The striking workers were led by Congressman [[V. Kalyanasundaram Mudaliar]].<ref name="thehindu_20081222">{{cite news|title=A street name unchanged|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/12/22/stories/2008122250770500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103185248/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/12/22/stories/2008122250770500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 November 2012|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=22 December 2008}}</ref> The Indian National Congress convened a meeting in Madras on 10 July 1921; in this meeting, [[C. Rajagopalachari]] moved for a resolution sympathizing with the workers of the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills and supporting their cause.<ref name="reddy" />

The strike lasted for a total of six months.<ref name="thehindu_20081222" /> The authorities adopted a ruthless policy to suppress the agitation. On 29 August 1921, the police opened fire, killing six workers.<ref name="nytimes_b&cstrike">{{cite news|title=Ambush British in India|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/09/02/107025228.pdf|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2 September 1921 }}</ref> Almost all the Justice Party leaders joined hands with the Indian National Congress politicians and supported the strike.<ref name="reddy" /> The support lent by the Justice Party towards striking workers is believed by some to have been influenced by caste identifications,<ref name="untouchablesp94" /> while others believe that the strike actually gave the Justice Party ministry a stick with which to beat the Governor's council, as the Home ministry came under the direct control of the Governor of Madras.<ref name="thehindu_20081222" /> The management tactically broke up the unity of the workers by allegedly enlisting the support of [[Dalits]] and Indian Christians who had not joined the strike.<ref name="reddy" />

The abstention of Dalit workers from the strike was severely criticized by the [[Raja of Panagal]], the Chief Minister of [[Madras Presidency]] and [[O. Thanikachalam Chetti]].<ref name="calcuttahistoryp101">{{cite book|title=The Calcutta Historical Journal|page=101|publisher=University of Calcutta|year=2004}}</ref> The strike gradually evolved into a confrontation between caste Hindu and Muslim workers who were determined to continue the strike on one hand, and Dalits and Indian Christians who did not participate in the strike on the other.<ref name="untouchablesp94">{{cite book|title=The Untouchables: Subordination, Poverty, and the State in Modern India|page=94|first=Oliver|last=Mendelsohn|author2=Marika Vicziany|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0-521-55671-2}}</ref> A communal riot broke out on 28 June 1921 when a caste Hindu mob attacked the Dalit village of [[Pulianthope]] and burnt a hundred huts.<ref name="basu" /> The Justice Party's publication, ''Justice'' blamed the riots on the "pampering" of Dalits by the Labour Department of the Madras government<ref name="untouchablesp94" /> while Dalit leader [[M. C. Rajah]] accused the union leaders of threatening non-participating Dalits from entering the mills.<ref name="basu" /> He also criticized the attitude of the Justice Party government of the Raja of Panagal towards Dalits:

{{quote|the high-handed poisonous action of members of a party who after inflicting all known and unknown injury on our community shed crocodile tears and pose as friends of the Depressed classes<ref name="untouchablesp94" />}}

The strike eventually came to an end in October through the mediation of [[C. Natesa Mudaliar]].<ref name="thehindu_20081222" /> That month, Sir [[P. Theagaraya Chetty]], the then President of the Madras Labour Union, advised workers to resume work.<ref name="basu" /> But with the exception of a few, most of the striking workers were not re-admitted.<ref name="basu" />

== Aftermath ==

In the aftermath of the strike, the major political factions in the Madras Presidency began leveling charges against one another. The [[Indian National Congress]] blamed the government for the ruthless suppression of labour activities, while the [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]] blamed the [[Non-Cooperation Movement]] for causing the unrest and criticized the government for showing partiality towards Dalits.<ref name="basu" /> The party demanded that the provision of free meals to Dalits in government camps should be stopped and offenders from all the communities be punished.<ref name="basu" />

The Madras government appointed a three-member enquiry committee headed by [[Sir William Ayling]] to investigate the causes of the strike.<ref name="basu" /> The committee blamed the striking workers for causing extensive damage to property and life, and highlighted the victimization of "Adi Dravidas".<ref name="basu" /> The Home Member of the Governor's Executive Council, [[Sir Lionel Davidson]], said that all the violence was caused not by a labour strike but by "a faction inflamed by caste prejudice".<ref name="basu" />

[[M. C. Rajah]] made the following observation on Dalits and the strike:

{{quote|If they had been with the rioters in the rioting, they would have certainly lost their lives. The very fact that no Adi Dravida was shot clearly indicates that the Adi Dravidas were not creating the mischief ... but my friend Mr. Thanikachalam Chettiyar has said nothing about the throwing of bombs which has become the fashion of the rioters. How many lives have been lost by the throwing of bombs, who threw them, these are questions which my honourable friend ought to have put before the Council<ref name="basu" />}}

== Notes ==

{{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:1921 in India]]
[[Category:Textile and clothing strikes]]
[[Category:Labour disputes in India]]
[[Category:Textile industry in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Economic history of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian independence movement in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:1921 labor disputes and strikes|Buckingham and Carnatic Mills Strike]]
[[Category:History of the textile industry in India]]

1921 Buckingham and Carnatic Mills strike - Revision history

Richa7864 at 05:00, 21 July 2025