This book connects the history of labour movements with the transformation of workplace relations in South Asia from the late 19th century to the 1930s. Contending that labour conflicts in the Bengal jute industry must be understood against the backdrop of a radical change in the organisation of work in this period, Sailer shows how this led to a rupture in worker's relations in the workplace and beyond. Moving away from polarities such as class/culture or modernity/tradition and reconsidering the context around industrial conflicts in this period, Workplace relations in Colonial Bengal offers a new framework to analyse the changing organisation of work in colonial India, and identifies the implications for worker relations both inside and outside the factory. Focusing on a major colonial era industry, this book opens up new perspectives n the history of workers and colonial capitalism in modern India.

Introduction 1. Sets, Squads, and Shifts: The Emergence and Development of the 'Multiple Shift' System 2. Uninterrupted hours of work and frequent breaks: The modalities of shared work and excess employment at the shopfloor3. Defending the spaces and rhythms of the workplace: Labour conflicts over the change in shift systems4. 'Various Paths Are Today Opened': Working class politics and the General strike of 1929 5. 'Fight to finish': Labour Conflicts in the Bengal Jute Belt in the 1930s