The great strikes

It was one of the seminal events that still continues to have an impact on the city. Since the 70s was a breeding ground for socialist ideas – with a belief that people could actually change theircircumstances – it gave birth to a watershed moment in India's labour and trade union history. The Bombay Textile Strike began in January 1982. Over two lakh workers went on strike, led by trade unionist Datta Samant. At the end of the strike, which lasted for two years, thousands were jobless, hundreds of mills were shut down, and the belief in trade unionism was broken.

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