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Ahmedabad Mill Strike

1918 · Industrial labour · Plague bonus · Gandhi’s first fast · 35% wage increase

Page 1 of 11 Self-learning flipbook · Read, reflect and practise
01 · Overview

What was the Ahmedabad Mill Strike?

The Ahmedabad Mill Strike of 1918 was a labour dispute between cotton mill workers and mill owners in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The immediate issue was the proposed withdrawal of the plague bonus during a period of wartime inflation. Workers sought higher wages to cope with rising living costs.

Year and locationMarch 1918 · Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Main disputeWithdrawal of the plague bonus and demands for a wage increase.
Key leadersMahatma Gandhi and Anasuya Sarabhai, with support from other organisers.
OutcomeThe dispute went to arbitration and workers ultimately received a 35% wage increase.
Core UPSC fact: Spectrum identifies the Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) with Gandhi’s first hunger strike.
Distinguish the three early Gandhian struggles: Champaran (1917) concerned indigo cultivators; Ahmedabad (1918) concerned mill workers’ wages; Kheda (1918) concerned land revenue relief after crop failure.
02 · Background

Wartime inflation and workers’ distress

During the First World War, prices of food grains, cloth and other necessities rose sharply. Workers faced increasing living costs, making their existing wages less adequate.

Why was the dispute important?

  • The plague bonus had been paid to workers during the plague period.
  • Mill owners wanted to discontinue the bonus.
  • Workers argued that wartime inflation still justified additional compensation.
  • The dispute developed into a struggle over wages, bargaining and workers’ economic security.
Economic context The workers’ demand was linked to the rising cost of living. The disagreement was not simply about a one-time bonus; it concerned whether workers’ earnings could keep pace with inflation.
When the prices of essential goods rise faster than wages, workers’ purchasing power falls. In Ahmedabad, the proposed withdrawal of the plague bonus intensified dissatisfaction at a time when workers were already under pressure from the increased cost of living.
03 · The central issue

The plague bonus and wage demands

The mill owners wanted to discontinue the plague bonus. Workers opposed the move because the bonus helped them manage the increased cost of living during the war.

Workers’ initial demandA 50% increase in wages.
Mill owners’ offerA 20% wage increase.
Gandhi’s proposed demandA 35% wage increase.
Final wage award35% increase following arbitration.
Gandhi studied the financial position of the mills, compared wage rates with Bombay and considered the workers’ living conditions. He concluded that 35% was a justifiable demand rather than the initial 50%.
After examining industry conditions, wages in Bombay and workers’ living costs, Gandhi considered 35% a fair demand that the industry could support. It moderated the workers’ initial demand while maintaining pressure for a meaningful increase.
04 · Breakdown of negotiations

From arbitration talks to a strike

Gandhi tried to help resolve the dispute between workers and mill owners. The issue was initially referred to arbitration, but the process broke down when the mill owners withdrew.

Sequence of events

  1. Workers opposed withdrawal of the plague bonus and demanded a wage increase.
  2. Negotiations and an attempt at arbitration failed to resolve the dispute.
  3. The mill owners declared a lockout in February 1918.
  4. Gandhi urged the workers to remain firm and non-violent.
  5. The workers continued their struggle for the 35% wage increase.
Lockout versus strike A lockout is an employer’s action that closes the workplace or excludes workers. A strike is a collective withdrawal of labour by workers. Both formed part of the sequence of the Ahmedabad dispute.
The failed arbitration left the dispute unresolved and increased pressure on workers and employers. Gandhi then supported disciplined non-violent resistance while continuing to seek a fair settlement.
05 · Important personality

Anasuya Sarabhai and the workers

Anasuya Sarabhai was a social worker who supported the mill workers in their struggle for justice. She approached Gandhi and requested his intervention to help resolve the conflict.

Anasuya Sarabhai She was the sister of Ambalal Sarabhai, one of the mill owners and president of the Ahmedabad Mill Owners Association. Despite this family connection, she supported the workers’ cause.

Her contribution

  • She brought the workers’ grievances to Gandhi’s attention.
  • She supported the workers during the dispute.
  • She helped organise workers’ meetings alongside Gandhi and other associates.
  • She became an important figure in the labour movement in Ahmedabad.
UPSC personality link: Anasuya Sarabhai was an important organiser and supporter of the workers. Ambalal Sarabhai, her brother, was among the mill owners.
She helped bring the workers’ demands to Gandhi, supported the labourers and participated in organising their struggle. Her role illustrates that the movement depended on more than Gandhi alone.
06 · Gandhi’s intervention

Non-violent satyagraha and a 35% demand

Gandhi intervened on behalf of the workers even though he was personally acquainted with Ambalal Sarabhai. After studying the economic situation, he asked the workers to seek a 35% wage increase rather than 50%.

Methods used

  • Encouraged workers to maintain a disciplined, non-violent strike.
  • Helped organise daily meetings and communicate the reasons for the struggle.
  • Asked workers to pledge that they would not resume work without the agreed wage increase.
  • Used satyagraha to sustain the workers’ resolve while negotiations remained stalled.
Why 35%? Gandhi’s recommendation was based on his assessment of the mill industry’s financial position, wage comparisons and the cost of living. It became the central demand of the workers’ struggle.
The Ahmedabad struggle shows Gandhi applying satyagraha to an industrial labour dispute rather than an agrarian revenue issue.
It aimed to preserve unity and prevent workers from abandoning the demand under pressure. The pledge also stressed non-violence and disciplined conduct during the struggle.
07 · Gandhi’s first fast

Why did Gandhi undertake a fast?

When negotiations with the mill owners did not progress, Gandhi undertook a fast to strengthen the workers’ resolve and maintain the discipline of the movement.

Significance of the fast

  • It reinforced the workers’ determination to continue their struggle.
  • It put additional moral pressure on the mill owners.
  • It became a prominent example of Gandhi’s use of personal sacrifice within satyagraha.
  • The dispute ultimately moved towards arbitration and settlement.
High-value fact: Spectrum associates the Ahmedabad Mill Strike of 1918 with Gandhi’s first hunger strike.
Conceptual distinction: Gandhi’s fast was a method of moral pressure and a means of strengthening workers’ resolve. It should not be confused with the non-payment of land revenue in Kheda.
The fast was intended to sustain resolve and encourage a disciplined struggle without violence. It reflected Gandhi’s belief in moral pressure and personal sacrifice as tools of political and social action.
08 · Settlement

The final 35% wage increase

The dispute was eventually referred to a tribunal for a decision. The workers returned to work after the settlement process began, and the tribunal awarded a 35% wage increase.

Workers’ initial demand50% wage increase.
Mill owners’ offer20% wage increase.
Gandhi’s proposed demand35% wage increase.
Final award35% wage increase.

What did the outcome demonstrate?

  • Non-violent collective action could influence an industrial dispute.
  • Negotiation and arbitration could provide a route to settlement.
  • Organised workers could sustain a demand despite pressure.
The wage award matched the 35% increase Gandhi had proposed. This figure is one of the most important facts to retain for UPSC revision.
No. Workers initially sought 50%. Gandhi proposed a 35% increase, and the tribunal ultimately awarded 35%.
09 · Historical significance

Why is Ahmedabad Mill Strike important?

1. Gandhi’s first hunger strike

The episode is remembered for Gandhi’s first fast in a labour dispute.

2. Application of satyagraha to industrial workers

Gandhi applied non-violent resistance to the conflict between textile workers and mill owners.

3. Workers’ organisation

The struggle helped strengthen labour organisation and the experience of collective bargaining in Ahmedabad.

4. Anasuya Sarabhai’s contribution

Her involvement highlights the importance of social workers and local organisers in supporting labour movements.

5. A key episode in Gandhi’s early Indian experiments

Alongside Champaran and Kheda, Ahmedabad helped Gandhi build experience in mass mobilisation, non-violent action and negotiation.

Source distinction: Spectrum’s immediate outcome is the tribunal’s 35% wage increase. The Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association is associated with the subsequent development of organised labour in the city; avoid treating every later institutional development as part of the strike’s immediate settlement.
Champaran, 1917: Indigo cultivators; tinkathia system; first civil disobedience in India in Spectrum’s account.

Ahmedabad, 1918: Mill workers; wage dispute and plague bonus; Gandhi’s first hunger strike in Spectrum’s account.

Kheda, 1918: Peasants facing crop failure; land revenue remission; organised tax resistance.
10 · Quick revision

Ahmedabad Mill Strike: facts at a glance

Question areaKey fact
Year1918
LocationAhmedabad, Gujarat
IndustryCotton textile mills
Immediate issueWithdrawal of the plague bonus and wage demands
Workers’ initial demand50% wage increase
Mill owners’ offer20% wage increase
Gandhi’s proposed demand35% wage increase
Important organiserAnasuya Sarabhai
Mill owner associated with the disputeAmbalal Sarabhai
Gandhi’s actionFast to strengthen workers’ resolve
Final outcomeTribunal awarded a 35% wage increase
UPSC associationGandhi’s first hunger strike, according to Spectrum

Common UPSC traps

  • Ahmedabad was a labour dispute, not an indigo cultivators’ movement.
  • The initial demand was 50%, but Gandhi proposed 35%.
  • The mill owners initially offered 20%.
  • Anasuya Sarabhai supported the workers; Ambalal Sarabhai was a mill owner.
  • The final wage award was 35%.
  • In Spectrum’s sequence, Ahmedabad is associated with Gandhi’s first hunger strike; Champaran with his first civil disobedience in India.
Introduction: The Ahmedabad Mill Strike was a labour struggle in 1918 over the plague bonus and wages.

Causes: Wartime inflation, proposed withdrawal of the plague bonus and disagreement over wage increases.

Methods: Gandhi encouraged a non-violent strike, proposed a 35% increase and undertook a fast to strengthen workers’ resolve.

Outcome: Arbitration resulted in a 35% wage increase.

Conclusion: The episode demonstrated Gandhi’s application of satyagraha to industrial relations and highlighted the importance of labour organisation.
11 · Practice test

UPSC Prelims-style MCQ test

Select one option for each question, then click Check answers to see the correct answers and explanations.

Attempt all 8 questions, then check your answers.
1. The Ahmedabad Mill Strike took place in:
2. What was the immediate issue behind the Ahmedabad Mill Strike?
3. What was the workers’ initial wage demand?
4. What wage increase did Gandhi recommend?
5. Who approached Gandhi to seek his intervention on behalf of the workers?
6. The Ahmedabad Mill Strike is associated with which first in Spectrum’s account?
7. Which statement correctly describes the final outcome?
8. Which pair is correctly matched?

Review the explanations after checking your score. The questions focus on the cause, key personalities, methods and outcome.

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