The Movement of the Working Class

1.Early Efforts

• Rise of the Indian Working Class and Its StrugglesImportance 2/5
  Which industries gave rise to the modern Indian working class, and in what order did they develop? Remember the kinds of exploitation workers faced. Understand the two opposing forces they had to face, and why this tied the labour movement to the freedom struggle.
• Early Nationalists' Attitude to Labour and the Factory Acts of 1881 and 1891Importance 3/5UPSC 2017
  Why did the Moderates stay away from labour causes? Understand their reasons, including how they viewed Indian-owned and British-owned factories and why they feared a division by class. What was their position on the Factory Acts of 1881 and 1891? Also understand the nature of the early efforts for workers.
• Early Philanthropic EffortsImportance 3/5UPSC 2017
  Sasipada Banerjea, Sorabjee Shapoorji Bengalee and N.M. Lokhande each worked for labour in the late nineteenth century. Remember what each did, and the year of the club and the newspapers linked to them. Also be clear about the association and the bill linked to them.
• Great Indian Peninsular Railway Strike of 1899 and Nationalist SupportImportance 2/5
  What happened in the Great Indian Peninsular Railway strike of 1899, and which newspapers campaigned for it? Which other nationalists backed pro-labour reforms? Note that this was the railway's first strike, not India's first.

2.During Swadeshi Upsurge

• Strikes and Union Attempts During the Swadeshi Upsurge in BengalImportance 2/5
  How did workers' involvement go beyond their own demands in the Swadeshi period? Remember who organised the strikes in Bengal and in which sectors they took place. How far did the attempts to form trade unions succeed?
• Tuticorin and Tirunelveli Strikes and the Strike After Tilak's ArrestImportance 3/5
  Who led the strikes in Tuticorin and Tirunelveli, and what happened to them? Remember also the biggest strike of the Swadeshi period and the event that led to it.

3.During the First World War and After

• Impact of the First World War, Gandhi and International EventsImportance 2/5
  Understand how prices, profits and wages during and after the war created discontent among workers. How did the national movement's new mass base, including Gandhi's emphasis on mobilising workers and peasants, relate to the need for trade unions? Which three international events influenced the Indian working class movement?
• Founding of the AITUCImportance 4/5
  When and where was the All India Trade Union Congress founded? Who were its first president and first general secretary? Remember the view on the link among imperialism, militarism and capitalism that is associated with the occasion, and who expressed it.
• Congress and the AITUC (C.R. Das, Gaya Session 1922)Importance 2/5
  What did C.R. Das argue about workers and peasants, and why? How did the Congress respond to the AITUC at its Gaya session in 1922? Remember a few other leaders who kept close contact with the AITUC, such as Nehru and Subhas Bose.
• Ideological Influences on the Early AITUC and the Ahmedabad Textile Labour AssociationImportance 3/5UPSC 2009
  Distinguish the two ideas that shaped the early movement: social democracy of the British Labour Party, and Gandhi's non-violence, trusteeship and class collaboration. What part did Gandhi play in the Ahmedabad textile workers' dispute and in the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association? Remember the wage rise won through protest and the one later secured by the arbitrator's award.
• Trade Union Act, 1926Importance 3/5
  What did the Trade Union Act, 1926 (formally the Indian Trade Unions Act) do for trade unions? Understand how it dealt with their legal status, registration and regulation, and immunity from prosecution. What limit did it place on their activities?
• Communist Influence in the Late 1920s and the 1928 Bombay Textile StrikeImportance 2/5
  Communist influence changed the character of the movement in the late 1920s. How did it do so? Remember the six-month textile strike in Bombay in 1928 and the union that led it, and the communist leaders who emerged in this period.
• Public Safety Ordinance and Trade Disputes Act, 1929Importance 3/5UPSC 2017
  Why did the government bring in the Public Safety Ordinance and the Trade Disputes Act in 1929? Remember the three main provisions of the Trade Disputes Act: the bodies for settling disputes, the rule for strikes in public utility services (including the condition of prior notice), and the kinds of union activity it forbade.
• Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929)Importance 3/5
  When did the arrests take place, how many leaders were arrested, and how long did the trial last? Remember the convicted leaders, including the British communists. Understand the effect of the case on the working class movement despite its worldwide publicity.
• Civil Disobedience Participation, the AITUC Splits and the Left FrontImportance 3/5UPSC 2002
  Did workers take part in the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930? Why did the movement dip in the early 1930s? Understand the splits in the AITUC around 1929–31, involving the moderate trend under N.M. Joshi and the communists, and the communists' return in 1935. Remember who made up the left front by the mid-1930s.
• Labour Under the Congress Ministries (1937)Importance 2/5
  What role did the AITUC play in the 1937 elections? Understand how the Congress ministries treated workers' demands, and the effect this had on trade union activity.

4.During and After the Second World War

• Workers and Communists During the Second World WarImportance 3/5
  Distinguish the workers' and communists' first stand on the war from their stand after 1941, and understand the reason for the change. What label did the communists give the war? Remember their attitude to the Quit India Movement and the industrial policy they advocated.
• Workers in the Post-War Upsurge (1945–1947)Importance 2/5
  What did the dock workers of Bombay and Calcutta refuse to do in 1945, and why? Whom did workers strike to support in 1946? Remember which sectors saw strikes in the last year of British rule.

5.After Independence

• Working Class Movement After IndependenceImportance 2/5UPSC 2018
  How did the working class movement change after 1947? Understand how unions came to be linked with different political ideologies.

1. 1.

   Consider the following statements about the attitude of the early nationalists (Moderates) to labour:
   1. They were indifferent to labour's cause.
   2. They believed labour legislation would hurt the competitive edge of Indian-owned industries.
   3. They actively supported the Factory Acts of 1881 and 1891.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1, 2 and 3
   4. D1 and 2 only
2. 2.

   Consider the following statements:
   Statement-I: The Indian working class movement became intertwined with the political struggle for national emancipation.
   Statement-II: The Indian working class faced both imperialist political rule and economic exploitation by foreign and native capitalists.
   Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

   1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
   2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
   3. CStatement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
   4. DStatement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
3. 3.

   Match List I with List II:

   List I (Person)	List II (Associated with)
   A. Sasipada Banerjea	1. Bombay Mill and Millhands Association
   B. Narayan Meghajee Lokhande	2. Bharat Shramjeevi
   C. Lala Lajpat Rai	3. Split from the AITUC to form the All India Trade Union Federation
   D. N.M. Joshi	4. First president of the AITUC

   Select the correct answer using the code given below:

   1. AA-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
   2. BA-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
   3. CA-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
   4. DA-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
4. 4.

   Consider the following statements about the workers during the Swadeshi upsurge:
   1. Strikes were organised in the government press, railways and the jute industry.
   2. Subramaniya Siva and Chidambaram Pillai led strikes in Tuticorin and Tirunelveli.
   3. Attempts to form trade unions in this period were highly successful.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1, 2 and 3
   4. D1 and 2 only
5. 5.

   Consider the following:
   1. Establishment of a socialist republic in the Soviet Union
   2. Formation of the Comintern
   3. Setting up of the International Labour Organisation
   How many of the above are given as international events that lent a new dimension to the working-class movement in India after the First World War?

   1. AOnly one
   2. BOnly two
   3. CAll three
   4. DNone
6. 6.

   Consider the following statements about the AITUC:
   1. Its first president was the Congress president for that year, Lala Lajpat Rai.
   2. The Gaya session of the Congress (1922) welcomed its formation.
   3. In its early years it was influenced mainly by Marxist-Leninist ideas.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B1 and 2 only
   3. C2 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
7. 7.

   Consider the following:
   1. It recognised trade unions as legal associations.
   2. It laid down conditions for the registration and regulation of trade union activities.
   3. It secured civil and criminal immunity for unions for legitimate activities.
   4. It placed no restrictions at all on the political activities of unions.
   How many of the above correctly describe the Trade Union Act, 1926?

   1. AOnly one
   2. BOnly two
   3. COnly three
   4. DAll four
8. 8.

   Consider the following statements about the Trade Disputes Act, 1929:
   1. It made the appointment of Courts of Inquiry and Consultation Boards compulsory for settling industrial disputes.
   2. It made strikes in public utility services illegal unless each worker gave one month's advance notice.
   3. It permitted sympathetic strikes.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1, 2 and 3
   4. D1 and 2 only
9. 9.

   Consider the following statements:
   Statement-I: The government passed the Public Safety Ordinance and the Trade Disputes Act in 1929.
   Statement-II: The government was alarmed at the increasing strength of the trade union movement under extremist influence.
   Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

   1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
   2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
   3. CStatement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
   4. DStatement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
10. 10.

    Consider the following statements about the Meerut Conspiracy Case:
    1. Muzaffar Ahmed, S.A. Dange, Philip Spratt and Ben Bradley were among those convicted.
    2. The trial lasted about three and a half years.
    3. It strengthened the working-class movement.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2 only
    3. C2 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3
11. 11.

    Consider the following statements about the working class during the Second World War:
    1. After Russia joined the Allies, the communists called it a "people's war" and supported it.
    2. The communists dissociated themselves from the Quit India Movement.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B2 only
    3. CBoth 1 and 2
    4. DNeither 1 nor 2
12. 12.

    Consider the following:
    1. Dock workers in Bombay and Calcutta refused to load ships carrying supplies to troops in Indonesia (1945).
    2. Workers struck in support of the Naval Ratings (1946).
    3. Workers of posts and railways went on strike in the last year of foreign rule.
    How many of the above were part of workers' participation in the post-war national upsurge?

    1. AOnly one
    2. BOnly two
    3. CAll three
    4. DNone
13. 13.

    Which leader argued that the Congress should take up the workers' and peasants' cause and include them in the struggle for swaraj, or else they would be isolated from the movement?

    1. AC.R. Das
    2. BN.M. Joshi
    3. CV.V. Giri
    4. DDewan Chaman Lal
14. 14.

    Consider the following statements about the working class under the Congress ministries (1937–39):
    1. The AITUC supported Congress candidates in the 1937 elections.
    2. The Congress ministries were generally sympathetic to workers' demands.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B2 only
    3. CBoth 1 and 2
    4. DNeither 1 nor 2
15. 15.

    Consider the following statements about the early philanthropic efforts for workers in the 19th century:
    1. They were isolated, sporadic and aimed at specific local grievances.
    2. Bipin Chandra Pal and G. Subramania Aiyar demanded better conditions for workers.
    3. The Moderates organised a nationwide labour union in the 1880s.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2 only
    3. C2 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3

1. 1.

   UPSC 2017

   The Trade Disputes Act of 1929 provided for

   1. Athe participation of workers in the management of industries.
   2. Barbitrary powers to the management to quell industrial disputes.
   3. Can intervention by the British Court in the event of a trade dispute.
   4. Da system of tribunals and a ban on strikes.
2. 2.

   UPSC 2018

   Who among the following were the founders of the "Hind Mazdoor Sabha" established in 1948 ?

   1. AB. Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.C. George
   2. BJayaprakash Narayan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and M.N. Roy
   3. CC.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu
   4. DAshok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta
3. 3.

   UPSC 2017

   Consider the following statements :
   1. The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions.
   2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India.
   Which of the above statements is/are correct ?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 only
   3. CBoth 1 and 2
   4. DNeither 1 nor 2
4. 4.

   UPSC 2009

   Who of the following founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association?

   1. AMahatma Gandhi
   2. BSardar Vallabhbhai Patel
   3. CN. M. Joshi
   4. DJ. B. Kripalani
5. 5.

   UPSC 2003

   During the colonial period in India, what was the purpose of the Whitley Commission?

   1. ATo review the fitness of India for further political reforms
   2. BTo report on the existing conditions of labour and to make recommendations
   3. CTo draw up a plan for financial reforms for India
   4. DTo develop a comprehensive scheme for Civil Services in India
6. 6.

   UPSC 2002

   Assertion (A): The effect of labour participation in the Indian nationalist upsurge of the early 1930s was weak. Reason (R): The labour leaders considered the ideology of Indian National Congress as bourgeois and reactionary.

   1. ABoth A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
   2. BBoth A and R are individually true but R is not a correct explanation of A
   3. CA is true but R is false
   4. DA is false but R is true