The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the railway workers’ general strike, a pivotal event in the history of organized labour in India. This strike, initiated by the railway workers, stands out for its extraordinary geographical spread and extensive public involvement. The workers, burdened with grueling work conditions, diminishing wages and bonuses, and soaring prices of essential goods and oil, were provoked by the meagre wage hike proposed by the Third Pay Commission. Their decision to strike on May 8, 1974, was a direct response to these adversities. However, the strike commenced unexpectedly when over a million railway workers deserted their posts across India following the arrest of George Fernandes, president of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation, at Lucknow on May 1. The strike began to solidify on May 2 when station masters at Victoria Terminus sealed its gates, symbolically challenging the ruling government.
The general strike swiftly brought daily life to a standstill, especially in major cities. It disrupted the entire railway system, halting train movements nationwide. Metropolitan centres and railway towns with substantial populations of railway workers, such as Jamalpur, Perambur, Mughalsarai, and Kharagpur, became strongholds of the strike. In Bombay, a general strike called in solidarity brought the city to a grinding halt. The railway system was in disarray for over three weeks, defying the Railway Board and the government’s assertions.
A striking feature of this general strike was the pivotal role played by the families of the railway workers, particularly women. In Delhi, they actively participated by confronting strikebreakers, demonstrating outside police stations, and blocking train tracks. These actions underscored the collective resolve and unity of the railway community.
The government responded with unprecedented violence. Declaring the strike illegal under the Defence of India rules, it mobilized police and paramilitary forces to maintain train services, arrest union leaders, and intimidate workers. At many stations, security forces outnumbered passengers and striking workers. Approximately 50,000 railway workers were arrested during the strike; 10,000 were imprisoned within the first 24 hours. More than 30,000 families were evicted from railway colonies, facing brutal repression. Railway colonies in towns like Mughalsarai, Jamalpur, and Jhansi became centers of this crackdown. These military-style operations marked an authoritarian shift by the government, which culminated in the Emergency of 1975. Despite their mobilization, the strikers, overwhelmed by state repression and financial hardship, had to capitulate, formally calling off the strike on May 27.
In retrospect, the strike is often viewed as a prelude to the Emergency declared the following year. While its political implications are significant, it would be a gross simplification to see it merely as a political campaign. The strike emerged from the railway workers’ efforts to address two-decade-long grievances neglected by the government and the industrial relations machinery. It was a unique event, not only because it challenged the government’s authority but also for the rank-and-file militancy it inspired and the wider solidarity it fostered among the fragmented labour regimes.
Although the strike was withdrawn unconditionally, calling it a complete defeat would be incorrect. Once the Janata government came to power, many dismissed workers were reinstated, and the demand for a bonus was accepted. Today, railway workers face similar challenges due to privatization, increasing casualization of work, and adverse recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. The 1974 strike remains relevant as a symbol of resistance against these renewed assaults on labour rights.
