C S KRISHNA Struggles of the Textile Mill Workers in the Madras Presidency^ I929~•I933 THE struggles of textile mill workers constitute an important chapter in the history of the labour movement in the Madras Presidency during the period 1929-33. Trade unionism dates back to 1918 and the workers in the textile mills were the best organized. Textile mills were scattered over different parts of the Presidency (Table I ). On an average more than 30,000 persons were employed annually in all these cotton mills (Table II). Socio-economic conditions of the workers were deplorable.1 Strikes in the Choolai Mills, 1929 A strike broke out in the Madras United Spinning and Weaving mills, known as Choolai Mills, on March 30, 1929. It involved all the workers in the mills. Its antecedents date back to 1928.2 In August 1928 the grievances of the operatives in the weaving section, arising from the introduction of the two-loom system, were referred to a committee of independent experts.3 In October 1928 this committee recommended that each weaver operating'two looms should be paid 90 percent of the pre-existing piecework wages in respect of his total output.4 The management offered to pay only 87^ percent and the operatives accepted this on the management's agreeing to recommend for the sanction of the Bombay directors of the mills the following concessions:5 i) the