§ Mr. LANSBURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for India how many men were involved in the recent strike on the Bengal-Nagpur railway; the rate of wages per month paid to the lowest and highest paid workers who took part in the strike: and what improvements in wages or conditions of service the employes have obtained as a result of the settlement?
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§ Earl WINTERTONFrom first to last about 32,000 men were involved, but these were not all on strike at the same time as while, the strike was still in progress many resumed work after the absence of a day or two. The lowest pay of adult male strikers was Rs.9 per mensem, which was drawn by only 750 men out of 65,000. The highest pay was that of the Indian clerical staff, i.e., Rs.250 per mensem. No improvement in wages or conditions was definitely promised prior to the strike being called off. The strike was actually called off after a meeting of the Labour Union with the Agent of the railway at which the latter stated, first, that there would be no victimisation, secondly, that departmental inquiries would be held by the officers of the railway in matters on which the union had previously asked for independent inquiry, or inquiry by a joint committee of railway and Labour Union representatives, and thirdly, that no specific increase of pay could be, promised as the examination of the minimum scale of the lower-paid staff, promised before the strike, had not been completed. The Agent, however, indicated that the examination showed that adults drawing less than Rs.ll per mensem would receive some increase of pay.