E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & TimesThe millowners submitted that their plants, employing approximately 80,000hands, were suffering from foreign competition and the world economicdepression and could not afford to pay existing rates.Having studied the industry's books and other pertinent data, Gandhi affirmedthat 'no cut should be made till the mills have ceased to make any profit andare obliged to fall back upon their capital for continuing the industry. There dbe no cut till the wages have reached the level adequate for maintenance. It ispossible to conceive a time it 6n. Workmen have begun to regard the industryas if ^were their own property and they would then be prepared P it out of acrisis by taking the barest maintenance consisting of a dry crust and workingnight and day. That would be a voluntary arrangement. Such cases areirrelevant to the present consideration.'Moreover, Gandhi wrote, 'It is vital to the well-being of the industry thatworkmen should be regarded as equals with the shareholders and that theyhave therefore every right to possess an accurate knowledge of the transactionsof the mills.'Finally, Gandhi suggested a register of all millhands 'acceptable to bothparties', after which 'the custom of taking labour through any agency other thanthe Textile Labour Association should be stopped.' This approximates to themodern, Western concept of the 'closed shop'.The impartial chairman agreed with Gandhi and ruled against the wagereduction which, accordingly, was not allowed.www.mkgandhi.org Page 178