Industrial Restructuring, Unions and the State-Textile Mill Workers in Ahmedabad

Organised labour in India is generally believed to have an edge over other groups in collective bargaining strength, in its access to political power holders who determine the scale and allocation of social security. However, sections of organised labour too are being pushed out of the formal sector of the economy in the process of industrial restructuring. This is what happened in the case of textile workers in Ahmedabad who lost their jobs in 1984-94 as a consequence of the widespread closure of mills, in the context of declining employment opportunities in Gujarat.