Collapse of the strike

As the strike progressed through the months there were numerous failures of any attempts at negotiation and resolution. Disunity, mainly due to Shiv-Sena trying to break the strike and dissatisfaction over the strike soon became apparent, and many textile mill owners began moving their plants outside the city.

After a prolonged confrontation, the strike collapsed with Samant and his allies not having obtained any concessions. The closure of textile mills across the city left hundreds of thousands of mill workers unemployed, and in the succeeding years the most of the industry moved away from Mumbai, after decades of being plagued by rising costs and union militancy.

Mill owners used this opportunity to grab the precious real estate. Although Samant remained popular with a large block of union activists, his clout and control over Mumbai trade unions disappeared.