To

The Hon’ble

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar,

Member in charge of Labour,

Viceroy’s Executive Council,

Camp, Madras.

Revered Comrade Doctor,

WE, the employees of the M. & S. M. Railway at Perambur have great pleasure in welcoming you amidst our midst this evening and in presenting you this address as a token of our sincere gratitude for the several amelorative measures that you are ushering in as a Labour Member of Viceroy’s Executive Council.

We have been watching with interest your efforts in the Bombay Legislature during the Congress Ministry period for protecting the interests of working classes along with Comrade Jamnadas M. Mehta, President of the All-India Railwaymen’s Federation.

Similarly, the various measures that you are daily putting into effect methodically and surely with a view to protect the interests of the working classes of this country and raise their absurdly low standard of living to something more sensible and reasonable have been responsible for creating a feeling in the minds of the workers that in your case surely the Government of India has made a wise choice.

To mention a few instances only, your steadfast fight to raise the wages of coalmine workers to double the pre-war rates and the firm stand you have taken in maintaining the payment of the enhanced rate of wages together with other facilities, such as supply of grains at cheap rates, supply of standard cloth etc., in spite of terrible opposition from vested interests and in spite of fifth column activities of the mine-owning classes, both Indian and British by encouraging workers indirectly to stay away from work and thus reduce the coal production with a view to discredit you as a Labour Member cannot be easily forgotten by any trade unionist worth the name of this country.

The Bill that you have put forward for compulsory recognition of trade unions in the teeth of opposition from both foreign and indigenous capitalists in this country who are piling up profits at the cost of the War and some of whom are paying a portion of the profits so earned for anti-war and pro-nationalist propaganda has opened the eyes of many a working class man and woman as to what fate there is in store for them if British Imperialist interests which are in the process of liquidation in this country quietly hand over political and economic power to political parties and organisations dominated, manned and controlled by the Big Business of this country.

Coming as you do from real working class community, we look up to you as a leader of a great community to properly guide the present and future struggles against capitalist exploitation of all sorts of communities and classes existing on false and stupid religious basis.

We thank you for agreeing to spare some time in the midst of your numerous engagements to be present with us at the reception and to agree to receive this humble tribute of welcome address presented on behalf of Railway Workers on the M. & S. M. Railway at Perambur.

We remain,

Fraternally Yours,

M. & S. M. Rly. Employees

Perambur,

23rd Sep. 1944.

Transcribed by Pardeep Attri

Railway Employees’ Association Letter to Dr Ambedkar

Dr B.R. Ambedkar, labour member of Viceroy’s Executive Council, visits a coal-miners’ colony in Dhanbad in December 1943