Railway strike of 1974

Source-This post on Railway strike of 1974 has been created based on the article “Revisiting the Railway strike of 1974” published in “The Hindu” on 20 May 2024.

UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-1– Post-independence Consolidation and Reorganization within the country

Context: The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the railway workers’ general strike in India. This event is significant in labor history because the strike showed remarkable unity among workers, spreading across a wide area and involving the public at large.

The strike started suddenly on May 2, 1974, when more than a million railway workers left their jobs all over India after George Fernandes, the president of the All-India Railway men’s Federation, was arrested.

What were the reasons behind the strike?

The railway workers decided to go on strike due to grueling work conditions, diminishing wages and bonuses, and soaring prices of essential goods and oil.
These issues were aggravated by a meagre wage hike proposed by the Third Pay Commission.

 What was the impact of the strike?

1) The strike swiftly brought normal life to a standstill in major cities, halting the railway system and disrupting train movement across the country.

2) All the major railway towns with a substantial population of railway workers, such as Jamalpur, Perambur, Mughalsarai, and Kharagpur, emerged as the strongholds of the strike.

3) Women and families of railway workers played a pivotal role in sustaining the strike, demonstrating and blocking tracks. For ex- In Delhi, they went around railway residential colonies, painting the faces of strikebreakers with vermilion and forcing them to put on bangles.

What was the government’s response?

1) The government declared the strike illegal under the Defence of India rules and mobilized police and paramilitary forces to maintain train services, arrest union leaders, and intimidate workers.

2) Around 50,000 railway workers were arrested, with 10,000 put behind bars within the first 24 hours.

3) More than 30,000 families were forced to leave railway colonies, which were subjected to searches and damage by security forces.

4) The government’s authoritarian response is seen as a dress rehearsal for the Emergency declared in 1975.

Read more- Railway Reforms

What was the significance of the strike?

1) It demonstrated the workers’ assertiveness in addressing their grievances through collective action within their unions.

2) It instilled a firm resolve in common workers and generated a sense of solidarity among railway employees, who faced division due to different groups and fragmented work arrangements.

3) It challenged the government’s ability to govern and inspired rank-and-file militancy and wider solidarity among railway workers.

4) Independent unions, rather than recognised ones, played a crucial role in mobilising the strike, highlighting the workers’ assertiveness in using their organisations for grievance redressal.

5) Although the strike was withdrawn unconditionally, many dismissed workers were later reinstated, and the government accepted the demand for a bonus.

What is its contemporary relevance?

Railway workers are encountering similar uncertainties because of the cancellation of the pension scheme, privatization, rising casual work, and unfavorable suggestions from the Seventh Pay Commission.

To counter these challenges, multiple trade unions and federations within the Indian Railways have united. The 1974 strike still holds significance as a fight against the ongoing onslaught on labor.

Question for practice

What was the significance of the railway strike that started on May 2, 1974? What is its contemporary relevance?