Ahmedabad Mill Strike and Labour Mobilisation

The Ahmedabad Mill Strike of March 1918 marks a major milestone in Indian labour history and the anti-colonial freedom struggle. Occurring shortly after Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa, this dispute between textile workers and mill owners in Ahmedabad introduced the method of fasting as a political and social tool in India. The strike transformed early industrial dispute resolution by applying the principles of Satyagraha, non-violence (Ahimsa), and moral persuasion to labor-capital conflicts. It also laid the organizational and philosophical foundation for the Textile Labour Association (Majdoor Mahajan Sangh), establishing a model of arbitration and worker welfare that influenced industrial relations across the country.

Background and Socio-Economic Causes

The Plague Bonus Dispute

In mid-1917, a severe epidemic of pneumonic plague struck Ahmedabad, causing a mass exodus of industrial workers from the city. To retain labor and ensure continuous production, textile mill owners offered a daily allowance known as the “Plague Bonus,” which amounted to nearly 70% to 80% of the workers’ standard wages. By January 1918, when the epidemic subsided, the mill owners decided to abolish the bonus completely.

Inflation and Post-World War I Economic Distress

The decision to withdraw the Plague Bonus coincided with severe economic strain caused by World War I. Prices of basic commodities, including food grains, kerosene, and cloth, had more than doubled between 1914 and 1918. Workers argued that while the plague had abated, wartime inflation made survival on pre-plague wages impossible. They demanded a 50% permanent wage increase as a “Dearness Allowance” to offset the high cost of living.

Mill Owners’ Stance and Lockout

The mill owners, represented by Ambalal Sarabhai, President of the Ahmedabad Millowners’ Association, refused the 50% demand. They offered a maximum wage hike of 20% and threatened to dismiss any worker who rejected it. On February 22, 1918, after workers refused the 20% offer, the mill owners declared a complete lockout across the textile units.

Role of Leadership and the Course of Satyagraha

Entry of Mahatma Gandhi and Anasuya Sarabhai

Anasuya Sarabhai, a social reformer who had established night schools and welfare centers for mill hands in Ahmedabad, brought the workers’ plight to Gandhi’s attention. Anasuya was the sister of Ambalal Sarabhai, placing the leadership of the dispute across family lines. At the invitation of both the workers and District Magistrate G.E. Chatfield, Gandhi intervened to mediate the conflict.

Formulation of the 35% Demand

Gandhi studied the financial condition of the textile mills, cost of living indices, and prevailing wage structures in comparable industrial hubs. He concluded that a 50% increase was unreasonable for mill owners, while a 20% increase was insufficient for workers. He proposed a compromise demand of a 35% wage hike. Gandhi made the workers take a solemn pledge under a banyan tree on the banks of the Sabarmati River, committing to three core conditions:

• Maintain complete peace and non-violence (Ahimsa).
• Refuse to return to work until the 35% wage hike was granted or the matter was submitted to arbitration.
• Refuse to resort to begging or live on charity during the strike period.

The Fast and Moral Persuasion

The lockout was lifted on March 12, 1918, turning into a strike as workers refused to return on the owners’ terms. As the strike entered its third week, financial hardship caused worker morale to drop, and some began breaking the pledge. On March 15, 1918, Gandhi announced a fast unto death—his first hunger strike in an Indian industrial dispute. The fast served a dual purpose: it reinforced the workers’ resolve to honor their pledge and exerted moral pressure on the mill owners.

Resolution through Arbitration

On the third day of Gandhi’s fast, the mill owners agreed to submit the dispute to an arbitration board. The board consisted of Anandshankar Dhruva as the umpire, along with representatives from both sides. The umpire ruled in favor of the workers, granting the complete 35% wage increase on March 20, 1918.

Philosophical and Institutional Legacy

Theory of Trusteeship

The Ahmedabad strike provided the testing ground for Gandhi’s economic concept of “Trusteeship.” Under this philosophy, capitalists were viewed not as class enemies to be eliminated, but as trustees holding wealth on behalf of society and labor. The movement emphasized mutual respect, negotiation, and class harmony over Marxist class struggle.

Formation of Majdoor Mahajan Sangh (1920)

The organizational network built during the 1918 strike led directly to the founding of the Textile Labour Association, locally known as the Majdoor Mahajan Sangh, on February 25, 1920. Established by Mahatma Gandhi, Anasuya Sarabhai, and Shankarlal Banker, it grew into one of the largest and most organized trade unions in western India, operating on principles of compulsory arbitration, worker literacy, prohibition, and credit cooperatives.

Structural Overview of the Ahmedabad Mill Strike

Fact Sheet for Quick Revision

• The Ahmedabad Mill Strike occurred in March 1918 over the withdrawal of the “Plague Bonus.”
• Mahatma Gandhi undertook his first hunger strike in an Indian mass movement during this dispute on March 15, 1918.
• Anasuya Sarabhai, sister of mill owner Ambalal Sarabhai, invited Gandhi to lead the workers’ cause.
• District Magistrate G.E. Chatfield requested Gandhi’s intervention to avoid industrial violence in Ahmedabad.
• Workers took their pledge to remain peaceful and steadfast under a banyan tree near the Sabarmati River.
• The original demand of the workers was a 50% wage hike, while mill owners offered 20%.
• Gandhi calculated a compromise figure of 35%, which was ultimately accepted following arbitration.
• Professor Anandshankar Dhruva acted as the sole umpire on the arbitration board that awarded the 35% wage increase.
• The strike led to the establishment of the Majdoor Mahajan Sangh (Textile Labour Association) on February 25, 1920.
• Shankarlal Banker and Anasuya Sarabhai served as key organizers and founding figures of the Textile Labour Association.
• The movement marked the first practical application of Gandhi’s “Trusteeship Theory” in labor-capital relations.