When the strike was formally rolled back on May 28, 1974, The New York Times headline said, “Indian Rail Strike Ends in Collapse”.Īnd yet, even though the railway workers had taken on the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, even before the Janata party government came to power after the emergency ended, 24,000 casual labourers out of the 40,000 were affected and 95% of the 16,898 regular employees dismissed had to be taken back into service. Led by trade union leader George Fernandes, the strike was called to demand a need-based minimum wage, social security, such as food, the formalisation of jobs, an eight-hour daily work limit, a safety net against rising prices and the right of railway workers to dissent and negotiate.
On May 8, 1974, 1.7 million employees of the Indian Railways formally began a strike that lasted for 20 days.
