A less known aspect of the life of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah is that he was a labour leader also and - supporter of workers' cause. He was the elected President of the All India Postal Staff Union for 1925. The Union had seventy thousand members representing the employees of the Postal Department of Government of India. As a member of the Indian Legislative Assembly for over thirty-five years Quaid-e-Azam pursued the cause of workers within and outside the Assembly relentlessly. It is a known fact that Quaid-e-Azam played a key role in the enactment of the Trade Union Act of 1926, whereby the trade union movement of the subcontinent, for the first time, got the legal cover for unionising the unorganised workers and exercise their right of collective bargaining.
As a mark of respect and gratitude to the Father of the Nation, this publication begins with three excerpts highlighting his concern and commitment to the cause of workers.
I. Jinnah, the Labour Leader in the Legislative Assembly
On February 12, 1925, B. C. Pal (a member) introduced a motion in the Indian Legislative Assembly that a committee should be appointed to inquire into the grievances of the postal staff. The committee was to consist of three non-official members of the Assembly, three government officials and three members elected by the Executive Council of the All-India (including Burma) Postal and R. M. S Staff Union, and it was to be presided over by a non-official member of the Assembly.
Commenting on the motion, Mr. M. A. Jinnah, who was also President of the All-India Postal Staff Union actively participated in the debate and advocated the case of the Postal Staff Union. The relevant part of the proceeding is given below:
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"Sir, the reason which compels me to intervene in this debate is that I happen to occupy the position of the President of the Postal Staff Union for this year. It was said that those who were feasted and garlanded should champion the case of the Postal Union. Sir, I can assure this House that if there was any bribe offered to me it was much less than what the highest officials are entitled to take, namely, flowers and fruits."
Pandit Shamlal Nehru:
"The Telegraph Department made quite a lot of money in the shape of telegrams."
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"Sir, I will place a few facts before the Honourable Member In-charge, who said that no case was made out. As far as I understand, Sir, the grievances are these. I do not agree with the proposition ---and I do not think it need be seriously discussed ---which was put forward by my Honourable friend Mr. Bipin Chandra Pal that he pays his servants according to the increase or the decrease of his income. I do not think it is beneficial either to the servant or to the master, and it might prove very serious indeed. The principle that I wish to bring forward ---and I do not think the Honourable Member opposite will deny it ---and to which the Postal Union has also adhered is that all they want is a living wage and fair conditions in which the work is performed. Now, the first and foremost grievance which the Union makes is that you appointed a Committee in 1920 with the personnel of which they were not satisfied. That may be a questionable matter, but they say that the recommendations made by that Committee were not fair and adequate recommendations.
It is no use therefore saying that we appointed a Committee in 1920. That Committee made certain recommendations, and again now you come forward in 1925 and you want another committee.
Therefore, the question really is this, were the recommendations made by that Committee fair or were they not? Well, on this point the position which is put forward by the Union is this. They take the case of their co- workers in the Telegraph Department. In the Telegraph Department the pay of men of similar qualifications, clerk, was Rs. 40. In 1906, it was raised to Rs. 50, and without a committee, in 1919, it was raised to Rs. 75, rising to Rs. 200, and after the Committee of 1920 they got from Rs. 80 to Rs. 250, to be reached in 18 years, with free and furnished house accommodation or house rent ranging between Rs. 25 and Rs. 50."
"They are not clerks at all; they are telegraphists, skilled labour."
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"Skilled labour, and what are the persons you employ in the post offices, are they not skilled?"
Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra:
"They are comparatively less skilled. I shall deal with that matter later on."
Mr. W. M. Hussanally:
"If the pay of the Telegraph Department is higher, it is a case for reducing it, not increasing that of the Postal Department."
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"That is a very good suggestion, but if I am right that the class of people that you employ is almost the same, it is no use saying that there is special skill required. The class of people you employ are almost the same, and this is the pay given to the Telegraph Department, but the best you can give to the Postal employees is Rs. 35, rising up to Rs. 120 as a maximum. What did you do recently in the Audit Office? Are they also skilled workers? My Honourable friend points to the Finance Member. It is the Finance Member that is always the trouble everywhere. What did he do in the Audit Department? That is what happened. (Diwan Bahadur T. Rangachariar: "Postal Audit?") The pay of employees of the Audit Office, which was almost the same as that of postal clerks, has been raised from Rs. 60 to Rs. 230. Now, whether it is the Finance Member or whether it is my friend Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra In-charge of Telegraphs and the Post Office, Government is the employer and when you find under the same employer these invidious distinctions made, surely the Postal Union is entitled to say: Why do you make these differences and why do you starve u?' That is grievance number one. Now the answer is given by Government in this way, that the telegraphists are skilled men."
Mr. A. Rangaswami Iyengar:
"What is the skill?"
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"I do not know what the skill is. Now that is the point in dispute. If you have a committee we shall have the representatives of the Government on that committee, we shall also have the representatives of the Postal Union."
Mr. W. M. Hussanally:
"Judging his own cause".
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"My Honourable friend says 'judging his own cause'. Are not the Government judging their own cause? Government is the employer and the post office subordinate is the employee, and why should not the employee be entitled to sit on a committee with the employer? Surely my learned friend has forgotten the first maxim of fair play when he says that. Why is he not entitled to go and say 'I want my representative to be on the Committee to place all the facts before you so that at least those who are not interested either way will hold the scales even between the two?' In every committee you must have the interests represented. What is the good of saying 'judging his own cause?' "
Mr. W. H. M. Hussanally:
"Government have no personal interest".
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"My learned friend, this is really the limit. ’Government has no personal interest?' Of course they have no personal interest, but they represent the tax-payers and they are entitled to plead the case of the tax-payers and they are not bound to pay more than what is necessary, if they did, my Honourable friend would get up and at once accuse Sir Basil Blackett, the Finance Member. What is the good of saying they are not interested? They are interested to this extent that it is their business to see that they do not pay a single pie more than what is necessary".
"Then, Sir, we get to the next point. I do not want to take up the time of the House, but I really thought that the Honourable Member knows it perfectly well. The Postal Union has published their grievances. I am sure he has got all the copies in his file and therefore it is really no use saying that the Honourable Member does not know what the grievances are. But he said so, as he wanted somebody to state them in the House. I know he knows everything in detail --at least he ought to, everyone of us is flooded with printed documents, typewritten documents, and when we poor mortals here, who have no power, are supplied with all the information, can I imagine for a moment that the Government Member has not got all this information?'
"On a point of personal explanation, Sir, I never said that I had no information about these grievances, all I said was that I wanted to know from the mover of the Resolution what his reasons for the appointment of a fresh committee of inquiry at this stage were, and I received very little light on the subject."
Mr. M. A. Jinnah:
"I entirely agree, (laughter). But the mover of the Resolution gave some credit to the Honourable Member, who has got all the information in his file in front of him, and if he wants me to repeat it as the President of the Union I shall repeat it here. I shall do so in two minutes, Sir, and shall not take up more time than that:
1. Suitable scales of Ray for all classes of officials in the subordinate service.
2. The number and Ray of supervisory staff.
3. Duty and local allowances.
4. House accommodation for the staff.
5. Increase of staff and reduction of hours of duty.
6. Increase of holidays.
7. Suitable buildings for post offices and rest houses.
8. Increase in number and accommodation of mail vans.
9. Split duty.
10. Suitable uniforms for those doing outdoor duty.
11. Over-time allowances.
12. Recruitment and station allowances for Railway Mail Service officials.
Well, Sir, those are the grievances. Now, I do ask the Government to consider this question from this point of view. You must remember you have a large body of men ---I believe over several lakhs. You must remember that this Union itself has cot 70.000 members. You must remember that some of these grievances are serious and you must remember that it is your duty to give them some satisfaction. It is no use saying, 'We oppose this Resolution.' It is no use saying, , We cannot do any thing.' It is no use saying, 'We have not got money.' I quite agree that you may not have money and that you may have your difficulties."
Pandit Shamlal Nehru:
"What about the suggested reduction?"
Mr. M. A. Jinnah (continuing),
"But I do ask you to consider this carefully and I believe Honourable Members here would not mind if the Government were themselves to take some steps and inquire into what at least they consider serious grievances. I can tell the House this much, that I presided over this Union not very long ago. A large body of men were present there. They are loyal and staunch workers. Remember that, they hold Sir Geoffrey Clarke in great regard, and I almost envied him when I looked at the diary which they published the other day, his photograph is published first and mine second. I thought that the President had always precedence. In this case the men regard him with great affection, and I do assure him that their complaints and grievances are not without foundation. I would therefore plead with the Government most earnestly on their behalf. I said to them at that meeting at that they have a great power, they were seventy thousand in their Union, they had the sinews of war, and they could use their organization as well as abuse it. I also emphasized the fact that they must use and not abuse their Union. And I assure you they are all loyal and staunch workers, and I am satisfied to this extent that they have grievances but to what extent they are all just I cannot say, but I am satisfied to this extent that they all feel they have grievances. I do ask the Government, therefore, to give this House an assurance that they will look into this matter and give it their careful and anxious consideration and meet such of the grievances as they can. Under these circumstances, I think my Honourable friend, Mr. Bipin Chandra Pal will allow the motion to be adjourned till the September session."
The motion moved by the Quaid-e-Azam was adopted by the Assembly.
II. Quaid-e-Azam Viewed Trade Union as "Weapon of National Freedom"
In 1944, when Mr. Rehmat Ullah Chaudhary, the late President of All Pakistan Federation of Labour formed a trade union federation in Punjab namely, PUNJAB LABOUR LEAGUE under the banner of Muslim League, the then Honorary Secretary of All India Muslim League, Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan on behalf of Quaid-e-Azam wrote the following letter.
Dear Mr. Chowdhury,
As per advice of Quaid-e-Azam, I convey his and my appreciation on the establishment of the Punjab Labour League which would be conceived as political weapon for our national freedom and for the betterment of down trodden of this part of the subcontinent.
We hope that in peculiar situation in which our freedom movement finds itself today, a trade union movement which is at cross purposes with the patriotic spirit will not only retard the consolidation of this freedom movement but may also imperil the very political rights which form the basis of labour rights.
With fraternal greetings
Signed
(Liaqat Ali Khan)
III. Quaid-e-Azam on "Dignity of Labour and Workers' Exploitation"
The Father of the Nation laid stress on social justice in his every speech. In the historic presidential address at the session of the All India Muslim League (which adopted the historic Pakistan Resolution) in 1940, the Quaid-e-Azam said:
"Since the dawn of history thinking people have realized that no human society can endure which allows the exploitation of man by man or which permits the application of different sets of laws to different classes of people. If these things are allowed then society develops inner conflicts. History tells us that internal strife rather than external aggression is the greater danger for any society. A house divided cannot but fall. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) had realized and understood this well and he declared that there was no noble life than the life of a labour. He was although loved by millions, did all his work by his own hands because he said, it is pleasing to God.
"I hereby give warning to landlords and capitalists have flourished at our expense by a system which is wicked and selfish that it is difficult to reason with them. The exploitation of workers and masses have gone into their blood and the~ have forgotten the lesson of Islam.
Quiad-e-Azam's love for the labour and his championing the cause of the workers, has generally been suppressed by the vested group. This aspect of Quaid's life is being sidelined deliberately. His advocacy for representation of workers in bodies where their problems and fate is being discussed and decided; paying the workers a living wage and fair conditions of work are as valid today as these were in Quaid-e-Azam's life time. It is a great tragedy that in Quaid's Pakistan, his repeated warnings to landlords and capitalists, who have flourished at the expense of the common man, are being ignored and suppressed.
An attempt has been made here to spotlight and focus on this aspect of Quaid's life, so that those, who are struggling for the cause of workers and other down-trodden sections of the society take comfort and solace and continue with their Endeavour with renewed courage and enthusiasm".
