Page 8 - Lessonnote_ Social Movement

 The formation of the AITUC made the colonial government more cautious in dealing with
labour. It attempted to grant workers some concessions in order to contain unrest.
 In 1922 the government passed the fourth Factories Act which reduced the working day to
10 hours. And in 1926, the Trade Unions Act was passed, which provided for registration of
trade unions and proposed some regulations.
 By the mid 1920s, the AITUC had nearly 200 unions affiliated to it and its membership stood
at around 250,000.
 During the last few years of British rule the communists gained considerable control over
the AITUC.
 The Indian National Congress chose to form another union called the Indian National Trade
Union Congress (INTUC) in May 1947.
 The split in the AITUC in 1947 paved the way for further splits on the line of political parties.
 Apart from the working class movement being divided on the lines of political parties at the
national level, regional parties too started to form their own unions from the late 1960s.
 In 1966-67 the economy suffered a major recession which led to a decrease in production
and consequently employment. There was a general unrest.
 In 1974 there was a major railway workers’ strike. The confrontation between the state and
trade unions became acute.
 During the Emergency in 1975-77 the government curbed all trade union activities. This
again was short lived. The workers’ movement was very much part of the wider struggle for
civil liberties.

CASTE BASED MOVEMENTS

THE DALIT MOVEMENT

 It is a struggle for self-confidence and a space for self-determination. It is a struggle for
abolishment of stigmatisation, that untouchability implied. It has been called a struggle to
be touched.
 The word Dalit is commonly used in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and many other Indian
languages, meaning the poor and oppressed persons.
 It was first used in the new context in Marathi by neo-Buddhist activists, the followers of
Babasaheb Ambedkar in the early 1970s. It refers to those who have been broken, ground
down by those above them in a deliberate way.
 Different movements have highlighted different issues related to Dalits, around different
ideologies.
 Dalit movements and the meaning of identity, there has been a common quest for
equality, self- dignity and eradication of untouchability.
 The Satnami Movement of the Chamars in the Chattisgarh plains in eastern MP, Adi
Dharma Movement in Punjab, the Mahar Movement in Maharashtra, the socio-political
mobilisation among the Jatavas of Agra and the Anti Brahman Movement in south India.