Malabar History journal

Background

Coir production began as a household activity in the 16th century in the coastal areas of Alappuzha and Kollam districts of Kerala. Initially, it served personal and family requirements, utilizing available husks within the native households. Over time, through barter systems, it evolved into a family occupation and a source of income for the local population. Different regions of the coastal belt of Kerala specialised in various coir yarns, marking the transformation of this household activity into a cottage industry. The coir industry, which originated as a cottage industry in the 16th century, has since then evolved into a modern industry.

Coir Industry in Malabar

Hand-spinning of ropes was a common practice along the entire coastal region of Kerala. However, in comparison to the southern areas of Kerala, the coir industry in the Malabar district was relatively smaller. People in Malabar, specifically in the Kozhikode district, specialised in rope making, while people in Alappuzha, in Kerala’s southern region, specialised in rope weaving.

Over time, the number of people dependent on the coir industry for their livelihood in Malabar increased steadily. In 1881, there were 4,619 individuals engaged in the coir industry in the region. By 1931, this number had significantly grown to 45,775.

Coir industry during the British period

During the 1950s, the steady growth of the domestic market contributed to the expansion of the coir industry. This growth was supported by the increased transportation of coir mats and matting from Keralathrough theh railways. Furthermore, by the 1970s, the continental industry was in decline due to a significant increase in production costs. As a result, the global market, which was previously dominated by the European powerloom industry, became accessible to Indian handlooms as well. However, the coir industry in colonial India underwent significant changes in the years following World War II. In 1940, European manufacturer-shippers and their Indian counterparts established the ‘Travancore Coir Mats and Matting Manufacturers’ Association’ (TCMMMA) to streamline the industry. This marked the end of new entrants, as many businesses struggled to survive by quoting uneconomic prices to secure business.

Following are some of the major shifts in the demand for coir products that occurred:

Unlike the pre-war period, overall exports of coir mats and matting steadily declined, while other hard fibers and synthetic luxury floor coverings became more popular. The rise of the powerloom matting industry in Europe also contributed to the decline. In addition, there were frequent fluctuations in demand due to factors such as lower wages in rural manufactures and the emergence of a powerful trade union movement in large-scale factories. The trade union movement successfully put an end to wage reductions, the truck system, and unjust fines.

In addition to this, there has been a switchover to other hard fibres as well as to synthetic and other luxury floor coverings, which further caused the decline. The rise of the powerloom matting industry in Europe also contributed to the decline in coir matting exports.

Another important aspect of post-war export performance has been the frequent fluctuations in demand. Several factors, such as the lower cost of living in rural areas, the proximity of the factories to the place of residence, the interconnection of rural industry and agriculture, and the opportunity for rural workers to earn additional income from agriculture, led to lower wages in rural factories. However, as H. Smith, the manager of one of the leading European firms, explained, the fundamental issue was the “difference in the relative bargaining power of the workers and the employers.”

Development of Trade Unions

Coir workers in Malabar, like in other parts of the country, faced challenges as the coir industry was among the lowest-paid industries in India, attracting surplus labour. Due to the poor working conditions in modern industries, trade unions began to form among the Coir workers.

During the 1950s, isolated struggles emerged, demanding better wages and working conditions. Protests erupted in response to the initial issues of lower wages and poverty. Husk beaters were among the first to form unions. Trade union struggles grew more intense in the late 1950s, and by the early 1960s, calls for minimum wages had taken off.

The struggles led to the gradual extinction of the centralized production system in coir industries. Consequently, larger factories split into smaller units, and middlemen began employing smaller groups of workers. In 1956, a notable strike occurred in the hand-spinning sector, addressing issues related to the right of large-scale ratters to close their work yards and contract out defibering.

In Malabar, the Malabar Coir Workers Union (MCWU) played a pivotal role. Formed in 1956, the union held its first conference in Calicut on February 19, with P. K. Gopalakrishnan, a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly, presiding over the meeting. The union’s struggles contributed to the abolition of the contract system and the implementation of maternity leave for women. Subsequent efforts by the union resulted in increased wages for coir workers in Malabar, marking a significant chapter in the industry’s labour history.

References

• (n.d.). History of Coir. Coir Board, Ministry of MSME, Government of India.
• Thomas Isaac, T. M. (1982). Class struggle and structural changes: Coir mat and matting industry in Kerala, 1950–80. Economic and Political Weekly, 17(31), 13–29. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4371180
• Thomas Isaac, T. (2015, February 2). കയര്‍ വ്യവസായ പ്രതിസന്ധി : ഒരു ചരിത്രാവലോകനം. Thomas Isaac Blog. Retrieved December 13, 2023, from https://dr-tm-thomas-isaac.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-post.html
• Mannar, N. A. A. (2021, October 10). വെനീസിലെ കയർജീവിതങ്ങൾ. Sirajlive. Retrieved December 13, 2023, from https://www.sirajlive.com/coir-lives-in-venice.html?s
• Suramya, T. K. (2021). Regulations and resistance in the beedi industry of Malabar, 1930–1970 (Doctoral thesis, Indian Institute of Technology Madras).