In this article, we discuss the Ahmedabad Satyagraha/Mill worker strike and its background and actiivites.
Ahmedabad was the second largest city of the Bombay Presidency. During the British period, the cotton industry in Ahmedabad was growing very rapidly.
In 1917, there was a lot of plague spread, due to which almost 10% of the population of Ahmedabad had ended.
In such a situation, the problem of the textile mills was that the workers were becoming more frequent because people were dying a lot.
A lot of people were also sick. On the other hand, many people were also going out to avoid the plague.
So to keep the workers in check, the mill owners started giving bonuses to the workers. The name of this bonus was Plague Bonus. In some mills, this bonus was given up to 80% of the worker's salary.
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The plague ended in 1918 and the mill owners also stopped paying plague bonuses. The workers were angry with this and the workers and owners came face to face.
The workers said that does not give a bonus but look at the inflation. The workers said that does not give a bonus but look at the inflation.
The workers wanted that at least they should get a 50% bonus. Mill owners left those people and started taking people directly from Bombay.
This demand of the workers was ignored by the mill owners and on the same issue, some workers went on strike together.
Mill workers went and met Anusaya Sarabhai, and Anusaya Sarabhai called Gandhiji to Ahmedabad. Anusaya Sarabhai was the sister of Ambalal Sarabhai who was the President of Mill Association.
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Gandhiji called both the parties to face to face so that the matter could be resolved through talks, but nothing happened.
On 22nd 1918, the mill owners said that we are ready to give a 20% salary Hike. Now Gandhiji did a study and came to know that the workers should be given only 35% salary Hike.
Gandhiji did this decided that we will have to strike. He refused the workers to go to work. Initially, the workers supported Gandhiji, but the workers were so poor that some workers joined the mill.
In view of this, Gandhiji said that I will not eat anything until the workers come on strike.
All workers came back on strike and within 3 days the mill owners sold 35% of their wages to the workers.
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