Kerala's First Workers' Strike.

SJPS submitted many petitions to the government to allow Dalit children to study in schools. In 1907 the governmentt passed an order to admit Dalit children to schools. The Dewan of Travancore, Mr. P Rajagopalachari, was supportive. But the officials at the periphery sabotaged the order. Some how Ayyankali got whiff of the order and asked the authorities in Education Dept to enforce the order.
He knocked at the door of schools. The school management consisting of landlords refused to implement the order.
"If you donot allow our children to study, weeds will grow in your fields." he warned. He cut asunder the last strand of kinship between the landlords and labour.
He added one more demand: 'make the employees permanent' by giving pay during off season when there is no work.
The other demands were:
1. Stop Victimisation on whims.
2. Stop Involving workers in false cases.
3. End whipping of workers.
4. Freedom of movement, and,
5. Admission for children in schools. The landlords didnot agree. The polarisation had gone too far to be reversed.
Ayyankali gave a call to Pulayas and other agricultural worker for strike. His was a historic call, for, he had heralded the first agrarian strike in the history of the world.