Are UP, Bihar Workers Being Forced Out Of Gujarat? The Truth Behind Surat’s ‘Gaon Chalo Andolan’ | Surat News

Last Updated:October 14, 2026, 11:05 IST

Crowded railway platforms in Surat have fuelled claims of a mass worker exodus. But are migrants fleeing alleged workplace exploitation, or heading home for a different reason?

Surat, Gujarat’s major textile and diamond hub, is witnessing a fresh wave of migrant workers travelling back to their home states, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Crowded railway platforms and reports of workers leaving embroidery and textile units have triggered claims that a mass exodus is under way, with some reports suggesting that as many as 10 lakh workers could be involved.

At the centre of the controversy is the ‘Gaon Chalo Andolan’, a campaign encouraging workers to return to their villages amid allegations of long working hours, denied weekly holidays, wage deductions and dismissals. Labour representatives say workers are increasingly unwilling to accept working conditions they consider unfair. However, other reports from Surat suggest that many workers are simply travelling home ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja, as they do every year.

So, what is actually happening in Surat? Are migrant workers being forced out of Gujarat, or has a routine seasonal migration coincided with an escalating labour dispute?

The available evidence points to a more complicated situation than either account suggests.

What Is The ‘Gaon Chalo Andolan’?

The Gaon Chalo Andolan, which translates to the ‘Go To The Village Movement’, is a campaign associated with migrant workers employed in Surat’s textile and embroidery industries. It has gained attention amid a prolonged disagreement between workers and factory owners over working hours, weekly holidays, wages and the implementation of labour protections.

The campaign gained renewed momentum in early October after an earlier round of protests was called off following assurances and a labour department directive concerning compliance with labour codes. Worker representative Ajay Dubey subsequently urged workers to consider returning to their villages for at least two months if their concerns remained unresolved.

According to an October 3 report by The Times Of India, Dubey asked workers to seek clarity from employers, submit individual complaints to labour authorities where necessary, and consider moving to establishments that complied with labour requirements. He also called for workers to stop machinery on Sundays if paid weekly holidays continued to be denied.

The movement is therefore not simply about workers leaving the city. It is also an attempt to use the possibility of labour shortages to pressure employers into addressing longstanding workplace grievances.

The campaign has attracted support from sections of the workforce, although some workers have reportedly expressed confusion over differing calls for action and uncertainty about what the movement is expected to achieve.

Why Are Workers Leaving Surat? The Allegations Against Factory Owners

Workers interviewed in reports from Surat have described working conditions that they say leave them with little time to rest and limited control over their working schedules. Several workers allege that they are expected to work for approximately 12 hours a day and, in some establishments, for as many as 30 days a month. They say requests for a weekly day off can lead to disputes with management, while asking for leave may result in wage deductions, withheld payments or dismissal.

These allegations have become central to the campaign.

One of the principal demands is a reduction in working hours to eight hours a day, along with a paid weekly holiday, preferably on Sunday. Workers have also called for timely payment of wages and better implementation of labour protections, including provident fund, Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) and gratuity benefits where applicable.

A September 13 report by The Indian Express documented another protest at Surat’s district collector’s office, where hundreds of textile workers said they had returned to work after receiving assurances from embroidery unit owners. They alleged that the promised changes had not materialised and that they were still working for more than eight hours without adequate breaks.

The workers’ memorandum also demanded that wages be paid by the seventh of every month and that labour laws be implemented more strictly in the textile industry.

These protests predate the latest reports of workers returning home. In August, demonstrations spread across several industrial areas, including Amroli, Katargam, Sachin GIDC, Pipodara and Kadodara. Operations were disrupted at some factories, and police registered cases following incidents of violence during the unrest.

The latest movement has consequently emerged against the backdrop of an unresolved dispute rather than an isolated incident.

‘Better To Farm In The Village Than Work Without Dignity’

The anger behind the movement is reflected in accounts attributed to workers returning to their home states. A labourer from Ayodhya, reportedly said that workers were initially given assurances when they asked for a Sunday holiday, but that these promises were not consistently honoured. According to the account supplied by Dainik Bhaskar, some workers had also lost their jobs or had outstanding wages after raising concerns about leave.

A worker from Prayagraj who said he had been employed in Surat for four to five months, described having his wages deducted after requesting leave. He expressed a preference for returning to his village and earning a living through farming, even growing cucumbers in sandy soil, rather than continuing under conditions he considered exploitative.

Another worker said workers wanted to work for 26 days a month rather than being pressured into working all 30 days. He claimed that workers who asked for the shorter schedule were turned away from their workplaces.

These accounts offer an insight into why some workers may be prepared to leave employment in an industrial city despite the income opportunities it provides.

However, individual testimonies do not establish that all workers departing Surat have faced the same conditions. The allegations also need to be distinguished from independently verified findings about individual employers.

The accounts were reported by media outlets and attributed to the workers concerned; a comprehensive, independent assessment of the scale of the alleged violations has not been established by the information currently available.

Is It True That 10 Lakh Workers Are Leaving Gujarat?

The figure of 10 lakh workers has circulated in coverage of the Gaon Chalo Andolan, but it should not be treated as a confirmed count of people who have left Surat. The number has been associated with reports and claims about the scale of the movement. However, the available reporting does not establish that 10 lakh workers have already departed, that all those travelling are doing so because of workplace disputes, or that they have been dismissed from their jobs.

The distinction matters because Surat has a very large migrant workforce. A September report by The Indian Express cited a union memorandum that put employment in the city’s textile industry at more than 18 lakh migrant workers. That figure provides context for the industry’s dependence on migrant labour, but it does not verify the number currently leaving.

Railway station crowds can demonstrate that a substantial number of people are travelling, but they cannot, on their own, establish why each passenger is travelling or how many people have permanently left their jobs.

Without independently verified departure figures, employment records or a systematic assessment of workers’ reasons for travelling, claims of a mass exodus involving 10 lakh workers remain unconfirmed.

The Other Side Of The Story: Are Workers Simply Going Home For Diwali?

There is another important explanation for the crowds at Surat railway station: seasonal migration ahead of major festivals. Workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states routinely return home around Diwali and Chhath Puja to spend time with their families. The journey is a familiar annual pattern in Surat, where migrant labour is essential to the textile, embroidery and related industries.

A Times Of India report described an early festive-season departure by thousands of textile workers. It noted that workers normally begin travelling home about a week before Diwali, although the movement appeared to have started earlier than usual this year.

A ground report by Gujarat First, published on October 10, presented a different account from the narrative of mass displacement. Workers interviewed at Surat railway station reportedly said they were returning home with their families for Diwali and Chhath Puja, rather than leaving because of unpaid wages, a lack of work or forced dismissals.

This provides an important qualification to claims that workers are being driven out of Gujarat. Some departures may be linked to the labour dispute, while others may be entirely routine festive travel.

The two explanations are not mutually exclusive. A worker could be returning home for a festival while also being dissatisfied with workplace conditions. Another may be travelling because a factory is reducing operations, while someone else may have decided to leave permanently after a disagreement with an employer.

The available reports do not establish what proportion of departing workers falls into each category.

It would therefore be premature to describe every worker travelling to Uttar Pradesh or Bihar as a victim of forced displacement. Equally, the established tradition of festive migration does not disprove the workplace grievances reported by those participating in the movement.

Why Is The Labour Dispute Significant For Surat’s Textile Industry?

Surat’s textile economy relies heavily on migrant workers, particularly in embroidery, weaving, dyeing, printing and associated manufacturing activities. The scale of the industry’s dependence on this workforce means that even a temporary reduction in available labour can affect production schedules. If workers leave earlier than usual, factory owners may face difficulties meeting orders or maintaining their usual operating capacity.

The textile and embroidery sectors have already experienced protests and interruptions in production during the dispute. Reports of a possible larger-than-usual departure have consequently raised concerns about whether the industry could face a labour shortage during a period when festive demand and manufacturing schedules remain important.

However, the extent of any disruption should not be overstated. The Federation of Gujarat Weavers Welfare Association’s president, Ashok Jirawala, told The Times Of India that workers normally leave Surat before Diwali and that this is an annual trend. Although he acknowledged that departures might be somewhat higher this year because of the mood in the embroidery sector, he said textile manufacturing was broadly operating as usual.

This suggests that the immediate impact may vary between individual factories and sectors. A unit experiencing a worker protest or a shortage of available labour may face a different situation from one operating normally and preparing for the customary festive-season slowdown.

The longer-term concern is whether unresolved disagreements over working conditions will make it harder for employers to retain workers once the festive period ends.

What Happens Next?

The immediate question is whether the departures will remain a temporary festive-season movement or develop into a more sustained withdrawal of workers from Surat’s textile and embroidery industries.

If workers return after Diwali and Chhath Puja, factories may experience a temporary disruption followed by a resumption of normal operations. If significant numbers decide not to return because of unresolved grievances, employers could face a more persistent shortage of labour.

Much will depend on whether employers and worker representatives can reach an agreement on working hours, weekly holidays, timely wage payments and the implementation of labour protections. The labour department’s role in addressing complaints and ensuring compliance will also be important.

For a clearer assessment of the scale of the movement, verified information on railway departures, workers’ stated reasons for leaving, factory attendance and the number of employees returning after the festive period would be needed.

Until such evidence becomes available, the figure of 10 lakh should not be presented as a confirmed count of workers forced out of Surat.

So, Are Bihari And UP Workers Being Forced Out Of Gujarat?

The available evidence does not support a blanket conclusion that workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are being expelled from Gujarat. Nor does it justify dismissing the entire episode as nothing more than routine festive travel.

There is a documented labour dispute in Surat, with workers repeatedly demanding shorter shifts, weekly holidays and better implementation of labour protections. Some workers have alleged wage deductions, denied leave and dismissals after raising concerns. Their accounts suggest that at least part of the movement may be connected to dissatisfaction with working conditions.

At the same time, independent reports indicate that many workers are travelling home ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja, as part of a familiar seasonal pattern. Industry representatives have also said that textile manufacturing continues to operate, although some units may be experiencing greater disruption than usual.

The most defensible conclusion is that Surat is experiencing an early festive-season movement of migrant workers against the backdrop of a genuine labour dispute. The relative contribution of each factor remains unclear, and the claim that 10 lakh workers have been forced to leave has not been independently verified.

What happens after the festivals will be a crucial test. If workers return in large numbers, the present crowds may prove to have been largely seasonal. If many stay away because their concerns remain unresolved, the dispute could become a more serious challenge for Surat’s textile industry.

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