Question

During 1981, Rashtriya mill mazdoor Sangh was negotiated on the behalf of mill workers of the Mumbai mills for their demands with the government and the mill owners.
A) True
B) False

Answer 1

Hint: The Great Bombay Textile Strike was a textile strike organized by Mumbai mill employees led by trade union leader Dutta Samant on January 18, 1982. The strike was called in order to obtain a bonus and wage raise. In Mumbai, about 250,000 workers from 65 textile mills went on strike.

Complete answer:
The Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh is an Indian textile mill trade union based in Mumbai.
Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh (RMMS) Swadeshi, Bombay's first textile mill, was built in 1887 and was the first of numerous factories that sprang up across the island metropolis over the next few decades.

The Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh was the mills' officially recognized union. By 1982, Datta Samant, a new militant union leader, had appeared on the scene. Previously, he had gotten large wage increases for Premier Automobile’s workers, and a segment of the Mill workers hoped for the same.
During 1981 -

In late 1981, a big group of Bombay mill employees chose Dutta Samant to lead them in a perilous dispute between the Bombay Mill owners association and the unions, rejecting the INTUC-affiliated Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh, which had been representing the mill workers for decades. Workers expected a 20 percent bonus on Diwali in 1981. The Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh, which was negotiating with the employers, agreed to a bonus of 8 to 17 percent without consulting the workers. Unrest erupted as a result of the bonus reduction.

Therefore, Option ‘A’ i.e, True is the correct answer because the statement is true, that Rashtriya mill mazdoor Sangh negotiated on the behalf of mill workers with the government in Mumbai.

Note: Any attempts at negotiation failed due to Samant's militancy in the face of government obstinacy. As a result of the strike's disunity and dissatisfaction, many textile mill owners decided to relocate their operations outside of the city. Textile mill closures around the city resulted in the layoff of tens of thousands of mill workers.