A quaint building on Strahans Road at Pattalam in north Chennai, which would normally be discounted as yet another old structure in neglect, has a rich past. The two-storey weather-beaten structure stands testimony to the pioneering history of the Madras Labour Union (MLU), the country’s first organised labour union.
The union functioned at Selvapathy-Ramanuja building, named after its founders Selvapathy Chettiyar and G. Ramanjalu Naidu and opened on September 16, 1931. When they learnt about the appalling working conditions at Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in Perambur, they decided to form a union to help the workers out of distress during the British rule. The idea firmed up after the bhajan sessions at the Venkatesa Gunamrutha Varshini Sabha run by both leaders.
