Coral Mill strike in Tuticorin
Led by V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva, Coral Mill workers in Tuticorin struck against poor pay and harsh conditions.
Speaking at Tuticorin on 23 February 1908, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai called on the workers of the British-owned Coral Mill to protest over their low pay and hard working conditions. The workers walked out four days later under the leadership of Subramania Siva and Chidambaram Pillai. Historians count the strike among the first organised labour actions in South India tied to the national movement. In his paper Vande Mataram, Aurobindo Ghose commended the leaders.
