Workers’ Resistances in the Indian Railways and the General Strike of May 1974

Abstract

Indian Railways has always been a significant factor in regulating the economic and political life of the Indians. Indian Railways might not have any revolutionary effect on people’s life but since independence it has become an enormously big industrial sector and popularly is branded as heart and life blood of the nation. Therefore, a strike of long twenty days in May 1974 halted the economic, social and political pace of the country. This study is an attempt to examine the reasons behind the grievances and resentments of the railwaymen in India. It observes the preparation of the trade unions for launching an indefinite strike and the situation existed during the days of the struggle. It also intends to enquire the attitude of the State in dealing with the railway workers’ movement in 1974.