-Bruhaspati Samal-
History remembers certain days not by their dates but by the flames they ignited in the hearts of millions. 19th September 1968 was one such day — a day when the corridors of government shook, not from speeches in Parliament, but from the thundering footsteps of more than thirty lakh Central Government employees who stood together as one, defying fear, defying repression, and demanding dignity. It was not merely a strike; it was a roar from the depths of a silenced working class, a revolution without weapons, and a testament that the hands which build a nation cannot forever remain shackled by hunger, neglect, and injustice.
The need for the strike was born out of desperation. Inflation was climbing, wages stagnated, and the government’s apathy had turned survival into a daily struggle. The 15th Indian Labour Conference of 1957 had already laid the framework for determining need-based minimum wages based on the formula suggested by Dr. Wallace Akroyd, ensuring that every worker could afford the basic necessities of life. But the recommendations remained ink on paper. The Second Central Pay Commission refused to accept the principle, and the frustration of employees mounted. The issue of full neutralisation of price rise through Dearness Allowance, a basic right of workers, was brushed aside without consideration. A one-day token strike became the inevitable response, called by the Joint Council of Action (JCA), comprising the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), the All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF), and the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers.
But the government of the day, led by Smt. Indira Gandhi, chose confrontation over compassion. The State, threatened by the unity of its own workforce, unleashed unprecedented repression. The Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) was invoked across the country. Armies of police and paramilitary forces were deployed. Preventive arrests became the order of the day. In Delhi alone, over three thousand employees were dragged into custody, and across the country, more than twelve thousand were jailed. Sixty-four thousand employees were served termination notices, and over forty thousand were suspended from service. Hundreds were dismissed outright. Government employees’ unions were derecognised, their leaders vilified, and many were thrown behind bars for daring to speak for justice.
Yet even in those dark days, rays of courage pierced through. In Kerala, the Left government led by Comrade E. M. S. Namboodiripad openly defied the Centre, refusing to invoke ESMA and declining to use the CRPF against striking employees, despite threats of dismissal from the Union government. It was a rare moment when a state government stood shoulder-to-shoulder with its workers, proving that leadership is not about ruling the people but standing with them when the storm hits.
The struggle was not without sacrifice. Seventeen brave comrades laid down their lives in the movement. From Pathankot to Bikaner, from Guwahati to Delhi, blood was spilled in the name of dignity. Some were gunned down in police firing, others crushed under trains while picketing railway tracks, and a few lost their lives while resisting forced eviction from their workplaces. Among the martyrs were Paresh Sanyal of Guwahati, Raman Achari, Kishan Gopal of Bikaner, Lakshman Singh, Raj Bahadur, Devi Raj, Gurdeep Singh, and Gama — names etched in the collective memory of a movement that chose courage over surrender.
The leadership of the JCA faced relentless persecution. Union leaders from AIRF, AIDEF, and the Confederation were hounded, suspended, and imprisoned, yet their resolve did not weaken. They organised hunger strikes from 10th October 1968, held a massive rally at the Prime Minister’s residence on 17th October, and continued the campaign through work-to-rule programmes. They fought not just for higher pay but for recognition, respect, and the right of workers to have a voice in shaping the policies that affected their lives.
And though the government crushed the strike on the surface, the fire it lit refused to die. The sheer scale of participation and sacrifice forced the government to reconsider its approach. When the Third Central Pay Commission (CPC) was constituted in 1970, the demand for neutralisation of price rise through Dearness Allowance — once dismissed outright — became part of its Terms of Reference. The CPC later recommended the DA formula based on the Consumer Price Index, a formula that millions of government employees still benefit from today. Yet, the original demand for a need-based minimum wage, as envisaged by the Akroyd formula, remains unfulfilled even after five decades — a dream still deferred, a battle still unfinished.
Today, fifty-seven years later, we stand at a crossroads. The new generation of employees faces equally serious challenges — rising inflation, precarious employment, weakening social security, and the steady dismantling of rights hard-won by earlier struggles. And yet, many hesitate to join protest movements, disillusioned, distracted, or fearful. But history teaches us one undeniable truth: no right has ever been gifted; it has always been fought for. The gains we enjoy today — Dearness Allowance, job security, pension entitlements — are not acts of generosity from governments; they are the sweat and blood of those who refused to kneel in 1968.
To walk away from the legacy of 19th September is to dishonour the sacrifices of those seventeen martyrs and the lakhs who endured jail, dismissal, and humiliation. The call of that day still echoes: “Rise, unite, and resist — for justice is never served to the silent.” In this age of uncertainty and shifting policies, we must remember that the strength of the working class lies not in submission but in solidarity.
Let the spirit of 1968 not fade into history. Let it burn within us as a reminder that power respects only those who dare to demand. And as we bow our heads to the martyrs of that historic strike, we must also raise our fists — not in anger, but in unyielding determination to continue their unfinished struggle.
(The writer is the General Secretary, Confederation of Central Govt. Employees and Workers, Odisha State Coordination Committee, President, Forum of Civil Pensioners Association, Odisha State Committee and a Columnist. eMail: samalbruhaspati@gmail.com)
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