ABSTRACT
On November 27, 1907, 400 workers employed at the Calcutta port jetties walked out on their jobs. The port commissioners argued that the demands of the laborers were invalid because they were among the best-paid workers in the city. This chapter looks at records from the year 1900 chronicling labor shortages caused by medical epidemics. It then examines records from the years between 1900 and 1905, examining evidence indicating that port authorities had instituted labor welfare measures to stabilize their workforce. It also examines several correspondences that refer to public investments designed to automate the port, insuring trade against future labor disruptions. It then highlights primary sources that indicate the withdrawal of the labor welfare measures during the following years as well as primary and secondary sources indicating rising costs of living brought about by food shortages in the province. The chapter provides additional information on the strike and follows its course from the year 1907.
