P D’mello : A great labour leader who has been forgotten in Today’s world.

P D’mello : A great labour leader who has been forgotten in Today’s world.

It is quite befitting to say that Narayan Malhar Joshi was the first person to start the labour movement in India. Even though his priceless contributions to the various labour movements, he could not form any labour organization. Similarly, Shripad Amrut Dange had spent his life in the labour movement for nearly fifty years, but still he also could not organise workers on the class basis during his tenure in labour movement. Such a labour organization was first formed by a philanthropic and very skilled leader P D’mello who was one of the greatest leaders in the labour movement in India. Today, many are not aware about P D’mello but more than thousand Mumbaikars are using his name because a 6-km arterial stretch between the south end of Eastern freeway and north end of Colaba Causeway is being called P D’mello Road.

From Yogesh Gogwekar

Placid D’mello, son of Raymond D’mello and Cecilia Serra, was born in Bibinal ward of Belman Parish in the year 1919 in Mangalore, Karnataka. He completed his primary education in church school, Belman. Later on he went to St. Aloysius College to complete his education in Shipyard Safety Instruction Course popularly known as S.S.I.C. For getting job, he came to Mumbai and joined in Bombay Port Trust. At the time of doing his job, he realized that the plight of dock workers was very pathetic when the ship was docked. During this time, workers had to work day and night without any break till the ship was unloaded. Therefore, he organised the workers and form the first Port workers Union to fight for their rights.

Placid D’mello was such a leader who used to owe organizational work. He not only became a trade union leader for workers of Bombay Port Trust but also for workers of many organisations like BMC, BEST, Moto-vehicles Companies, Railways. He was the founder of Bombay Municipal Corporation Mazdoor (BMCM) Union, BEST workers union, Taxi men’s union, Transport and Dock Workers Union and the All India Port and Dock Workers Federation. Originally, he was from Mangalore and very fluent in Hindi, Kannada and English. He learnt Marathi to read, write and speak very fast. In 1940, it was being said that the Waterfront and the underworld were having a symbiotic relationship, Due to this; survival was difficult for the common person. D’mello not only survived but emerged as chief. It was D’mello who ruled around the Gate of India from 1940 till his death in 1958.

Placid D’mello was not a type of leader who would only think about financial benefits to the workers. He had a deep foresight and was having direct contact with workers. He used to be with workers for their personal matters happiness or sorrow. He had made an arrangement of urinals, toilets or shades for BEST Bus drivers and conductors at Bus Depot where they have to wait for the change of duty. This thing had been done by conducting the survey after visiting places of entire Mumbai City and gave the detailed report of such places to BEST where such facilities were to be given. He had also shown the skill in organizing the strike and also in negotiations in settlement. He was full aware of the feelings of workers and their pulses. He knew how long to stretch the strike and when to do the settlement. He never indulged in any temporary gains and never run after cheap popularity. He never used to hesitate to speak with problems of workers with other opponent Labour leaders. For this purpose, one can check the struggles of BMC workers in September 1957.

Life of D’mello was much disciplined. He was unmarried till his death. He never did the settlement without understanding any problems. He used to attend court cases with proper information and documents. Therefore, every top official in the organisations and ministers in government had great respect for him. He was towering personality. He was a very tall, well-built and healthy person. He was very patriotic. After coming under the influence of Rammanohar Lohia, he joined the socialist party. From his socialistic view point, he tried to set the democratic principle in the Trade Union movement by bringing workers together by forgetting individual and other differences.

As I said earlier, D’mello was a philanthropic person. He was not only helping workers but also the people from all fields. He helped financially to C I D police officer who was constantly keeping watch on him and also responsible to arrest him due to anti-establishment speech. He aspired for working class unity. He was one of the mentors of a great socialist leader and former Defence minister George Fernandes. Such a great leader expired on 20^th March 1958 at the age of 40 due to cardiac arrest in Kolkata at the time of attending the working committee meeting of the Federation. This was a great shock and loss to the working class. No one can evaluate him based on speeches given on his condolence but definitely his greatness lies on the work done by him. On 20^th March 2009, workers of Bombay Port Trust observed 50^th death anniversary of P D’mello and every workers of BPT went to Sewree cemetery to offer their homage to their great leader.

Placid D’mello never liked the dictatorship of the Church but he believed in the inheritance of Jesus, Gautama Buddha and Sant Tukaram. 

Salute to such a great son of India.

Mumbai

20/06/2020