TRADE UNION MOVEMENTIN INDIA Labour Movement or Trade Union Movement " The labour movement and trade

unions are used synonymously. But that is not so, as labour movement is conceived as "All of the organised activity of wage-earners to better their own conditions either immediately or in the more, or less distant future.. According to, Prof. Cole, abour movement im!lies in some degree, a community of outloo", it is an organisation, or rather many forms of organisations based u!on the sense of a common status and a common need for mutual hel!. #t emerges from a common need to serve a common interest, "#t see"s to develo! among wor"ers a s!irit of combination, classconsciousness and solidarity of interest and arouses a consciousness, for self-res!ect, rights and duties. #t creates organi$ation or organi$ations for their self-!rotection, safeguarding of their common interest and betterment of their social and economic !osition. A trade union is an essential basis of a labour movement for without it the labour movement cannot e%ist, because trade unions are the !rinci!al schools in which the wor"ers learn the lesson of self-reliance and solidarity." &ften there is to be found a lot of confusion on the use of the word labour movement and 'trade union movement'. (owever, there is a slight distinction between the two. The labour movement is "for the wor"er", whereas the trade union movement is "by the wor"er". This distinction needs to 'be noted all the more because till the wor"ers organised themselves into trade unions, efforts were made, mainly by the social reformers, to im!rove the wor"ing and living conditions of labour. These efforts should be ta"en as forming a !art of the 'labour movement' and not that of the trade union movement. #n #ndia, the labour movement started from )*+,, when a number of measures through legislation, administration and welfare wor", were ta"en by the government, the social wor"ers and the enlightened em!loyers. The trade union movement on the other hand, started after )-)*, when the wor"ers formed their associations to im!rove their conditions. #t is, thus, a !art of the 'labour movement'. which is a much wider term. Why the Trade Union Movement? The main elements in the develo!ment of trade unions of wor"ers in every country have been more or less the same. The setting u! of large-scale industrial units, create conditions of wides!read use of machinery, new lines of !roduction and brought about changes in wor"ing and living environment of wor"ers, and concentration of industries in large towns. All of these develo!ments introduced a new class of wor"ers .that is, wageearners/ who were de!endent on wages for their livelihood. They were at a disadvantage in an 'age when the doctrine of laisse faire held the field.#n the absence of collective action, they were ruthlessly e%!loited, and had to wor" hard for unbelievably long hours, from sunrise to sunset, in dar" and dingy factories and under very tiring conditions and the !rotest by indiv)dualwor"ers could have no effect on the em!loyers because of the !lentiful su!!ly of labour. The wor"ers had, therefore, to 0oin together, at least to maintain, if not to im!rove, their bargaining !ower against the em!loyers. 1here 0oint action was inade2uate, the !ractice which wor"ers evolved was 0oint withdrawal from

wor". #t was this labour !rotest on an organised scale, through the su!!ort of some !hilanthro!ic !ersonalities. That organised labour unions came to be formed.

Gro th and Deve!o"ment o# the Trade Union Movement

The growth and develo!ment of. the labour - movement , and for that !art of the trade unions, in #ndia, can be divided into following !eriods, each of them revealing different tendencies that mar" it from others. $% &o'ia! We!#are "eriod( )rom $*+, to $-$*./ 0% Ear!y Trade Union "eriod ( )rom $-$* to $-01. / 2% Le#t/ Win3 Trade Unioni4m "eriod ( )rom $-01 to $-21./ 1% Trade Union Unity 5eriod ( )rom $-2, to $-2*. ,% &e'ond Wor!d War ( )rom $-2- to $-1,. 6% 5o4t Inde"enden'e "eriod ( )rom $-1+ to date. +% 5re4ent 4'enario/ &O7IAL WEL)ARE 5ERIOD ($*+, TO $-$*. The develo!ment' of 'industries led, to large-scale !roduction on the one hand and social evils li"e 'em!loyment and e%!loitation of women and child labour and the de!lorable. wor"ing conditions, the government attitude of com!lete indifference in res!ect of !rotection of labour from such evils3 on the others 4ome of the worst features of industrialism mar"ed the history of early factory system in #ndia. #n certain res!ects, conditions of labour in #ndian factories were worse than in the early factories in 5ngland. 6nfortunately there was no effective !ublic o!inion which could re!resent the sufferings of the wor"ing class. "The wor"ers who were for the most !art villagers endeavoring to im!rove their !osition by a tem!orary alliance to industry' were submissive and unorganised3 and if conditions became too distasteful, the natural remedy was not a stri"e but abandonment by individuals of the mill or of industry generally or "they migrated to other industrial centres or went bac" to their villages. There was no attem!t at collective bargaining or at obtaining 'redress through concerted action." #t was at this 0uncture that the #ndian humanitarians, li"e 4orab0ee 4ha!ur0i Bengali .)*+,/ and 7.8. o"handay .in )**9/ who themselves were factory wor"ers, drew attention of the government towards the unha!!y wor"ing. conditions of the labourers and demanded an early legislation to !rotect their interests. At the same time, the ancashire interests also forced the British government to restrict the em!loyment of women and child labour in #ndian industries, not on any humanitarian ground, but on the ground of their own !rotection from chea! #ndian goods. Accordingly the #ndian :actories Act was !assed in )**), and then am;nded in )*-) and )-)), res!ectively. These Acts introduced some im!rovements in regard to shorter hours, and conditions of wor" for children and women labour. The labour movement in #ndia, rather, started very late, though the history of modem industrialism in #ndia began as early as )*,<. The :actory Commission in .)*+,/, the :actories Act .)**)/, the investigation of 8eade 8oor .in )*+9/, the second Bombay :actory Commission in .)**9/, the wor"ers' meeting organised in Bombay .in )**9/ and

the submission by them of a memorial to the 4econd Bombay :actory Commission, and investigation of =ones .a ancashire factory ins!ector and the holding of a mass meeting in Bombay .on A!ril ;), )*-</ which was attended by about )<,<<<wor"ersand the submission to the government of another memorial signed by about )+,<<< wor"ers were the im!ortant events which nursed the infant labour movement. The memorial demanded> .i/ a com!lete day of rest every 4aturday3 .ii/ half an hour's rest at noon3 .iii/ wor"ing hours no longer than ?.@< !.m., which should cease at sunset3 .iv/ the !ayment of wages not later than the ),th of the month in which they were earned3 .v/ !ayment to in0ured wor"ers until they recovered together with suitable com!ensation, if they are !ermanently disabled. The year )**9 can legitimately be regarded as the beginning of the labour .movement. The mill owners agreed to grant a wee"ly holiday to wor"ers. 5ncouraged by this success, Bombay 8ill hands Association was formed in )*-< by 7.8. o"handay. The !ur!ose was to !rovide a clearing house for the grievances of mill wor"ers and to hel! in drawing !ublic attention to the cause of labour. This was the first union in #ndia which earned for its founder the title of being the "first trade unionist" of the country. (e also !ublished Ainbhandhu, a wor"ing news!a!er, to !lace before the authorities and the em!loyers, the legitimate grievances of wor"ers. #n subse2uent years a number of unions were formed, such as> .a/ The Amalgamated 4ociety of Bailway .servants of #ndia and Burma for 5uro!ean and Anglo-#ndian railway em!loyees/ to cater to their economic needs, through mutual insurance schemes .The Printers' 6nion of Calcutta, )-<,3 the Bombay Postal 6nion, as also at Calcutta and 8adras )-<+3 the Camgar (itwardha 4abha, )-<-3 and the 4ocial 4ervice eague, )-)<. These associations, were loose organi$ations, more than for wor"ers. The leaders were !rimarily social reformers belonging to the moderate schools of !olitics. The 4athyashodha" 4ama0 in 8aharashtra3 the non-Brahmin movement in 8adras, ,the Theoso!hical 4ociety in 8adras, and Brahmo 4ama0 in.Calcutta were other early associations of wor"ers which too" !hilanthro!ic interest in the general masses. The ob0ectives, of these associations were to !romote welfare activities, s!read literacy among the factory wor"ers and redressed grievances through constitutional methods. These associations were not trade unions. They attem!ted to ameliorate the wor"ing conditions of the factory wor"ers in their own limited s!here of activities. These different associations were not affiliated to any central organi$ation or federation. They only focused !ublic attention to the necessity of im!roving the wor"ing conditions in the factories and laid foundations for the establishment of trade unions, which came into e%istence after the :irst 1orld 1ar. Auring this time, a number of em!loyers organisations were also formed to safeguard their common interests which needed common action in res!ect of wages and conditions of wor". The organi$ations that were formed during )*+--)**), were the Bombay and Bengal Chambers of Commerce3 the Bombay 8ill &wners' Association3 the Calcutta Traders Association3 the British #ndian Association. The #ndian =ute 8anufacturers Association and the #ndian Chamber of Commerce. The associations of em!loyers had

one common ob0ective in view, namely, to run factories in such a manner as to ensure a ma%imum return on their investment. (ence, they did not favour any action which could lead to reduction in !rofit. They, therefore, ado!ted strong attitude towards the recurrence of stri"es. #n many factories in Bombay, the usual !ractice of the em!loyers was to dismiss the !ersons stri"ing and to forfeit the wages of such wor"ers. Being short lived, these association did not en0oy any continuity and were disbanded as their immediate demands were met. The movement received a setbac" on the death of the two !ioneers and nothing remar"able ha!!ened during the succeeding years. (owever, during the first decade of the ;<th century there was some s!urt iil the movement. Diri observes that "between )-<9 and )-)), there was a remar"able advance in the organisation of the labour movement. A.stri"e in Bombay mills, a series of stri"es in railways .s!ecially in the 5astern Bengal Bailways/, in the railways wor"sho!, and in the government !ress in Calcutta occurred !rominently The clima% in the labour movement was reached with the ?-day !olitical mass stri"e in Bombay in )-<* against the sentence of ? years im!risonment of o"manya Bal .Dangadhar Tila" for offence of sedition. This stri"e highlighted the beginnings of the !olitical consciousness of the #ndian wor"ing class. But trade unions in #ndia had yet confined, by and large, to the u!!er ran"s of the wor"ing class, i.e 5uro!ean and Anglo #ndian railwaymen and government em!loyees trade unionism in the organised industry was anything but local, loose and s!oradic in character. The !olitical factors associated with the !artition of Bengal and the 4wadeshi 8ovement of )-<, also hel!ed the movement. (owever, two factors were res!onsible for the slow steady growth of the 'movement, namely, the slow and gradual !roletarisation and the wea"ness and disability of the #ndian wor"ing class. The labour movement till )-)*" was strictly constitutional and relied mainly on moderate methods such as investigations, memoranda, !etitions3 legal enactments, committees and commissions. The most noticeable features' of the !eriod, )*+,-)-)* - were> .)/ Com!lete absence of radicalism in the labour movement. The methods used by the wor"ers were characterised by a tendency to !etition, memorials and see" redress of grievances by mild !ressure. These methods reflect the influence of leaders li"e 7aryan 8egha0ee o"handay, 4ha!ur0ee Bengali, 4.7. Banei0ee, and others who were all !olitical moderates and law abiding !ersons. They were rather social wor"ers desirous to serve the society through amelioration. "1ith these characteristics," writes Pune"ar, "the labour movement could hardly tac"le such !roblems as e%cessive hours of wor", few holidays, irregular !ayment of wages, incom!etency of mill managers, inade2uate fencing of machinery and the illventilated and filthy state of many wor" !laces. .;/ The movement de!ended greatly on e%ternal !hilanthro!y. "Philanthro!ic agitation was the fore-runner of labour movement in #ndia and having originated in !hilanthro!y

its motive force was sym!athy rather than 0ustice. Born of !hilanthro!y. #t was a movement for the wor"ers rather than by the wor"ers. .@/ 8ost of the organisations were unstable and of loose ty!e, as they lac"ed definite aims and constitution. &nce the !articular grievance was settled the association would disband. .9/ There was little conce!tion of !ermanent trade union membershi!, 'the !ayment Edues or organised collective bargaining. About the Bombay 8ills and Association, Autt observed, "The Association has no e%istence as an organised body, having no roll or membershi!. no funds, no rule..." .,/ The movement develo!ed mostly among the educated class of wor"ers such as the !ostal cler"s and railway em!loyees. #t, however. did not ma"e much !rogress in organised industries li"e te%tiles, mining and !lantations. .?/ The early leadershi! was !rovided by three ty!es of !ersons. :irst, intellectuals such as lawyers, reformers, editors, teachers and !reachers, who readily came forward to organise and lead the wor"ers. 4econd, the careerists, who saw in the needs of wor"ers o!!ortunities for furthering their own ends, 0um!ed in mas2uerading as labour leaders.The third grou! from which labour leaders emerged consisted of !oliticians and nationalists li"e B.P. 1adia, F.F. Diri, 8. Fardara0ulu 7aidu, B. 4hiv Bao, Annie Besant and B.D. Tila", 7.8. =oshi. According to Pandey. the im!ortant factors which have hel!ed in the emergence and growth of the industrial labour movement are> .)/ 1hile the economic hardshi!s of wor"ers have been !resent as a latent force. The im!etus for the growth of labour movement is !rovided by the ma0or !olitical currents, !articularly movement for 'national inde!endence. .;/ The failure of wor"ers' initial attem!ts to organise led them to see" the hel! of. !hilanthro!ists and social wor"ers to generally came from classes higher in economic and social status. Thus. the main characteristics of these early efforts of forming labour associations was their lac" of continuous organanisation. These associations e%isted but they were not an organic growth out of the wor"ing class. 1or"ers su!!orted their association when it suited them such as during, stri"es or in order to get benefits from welfare activities. &therwise they ignored the associations. (ence, they were usually wea". The entire !eriod" on the whole3 has been divided into -two> first, the Begulation Period .)*+,-)*-)/, when the child and women labour in factories was, regulated by legislation. such as the :actories Acts of )**), and )*-)3 second, the Abolition Pe(od .)*-)-)-)+/ when a successful !rotest was made against the indentured system under which #ndian labourers were sent out to British colonies to wor" as !lantation labour.

By some, this entire !eriod has been termed as the !eriod of tem!orary organisations and a !eriod of labour movement rather than that of the trade union movement because during this !eriod a number of loose organisations and social service agencies or welfare societies came to be set u!. (0. EARL8 TRADE UNION 5ERIOD ($-$*/$-01. The year )-)* was an im!ortant one for the #ndian trade union movement. "#t mar"ed the start of a new era, an era of growth and one in which the leadershi! of the trade unions was to !ass from the hands of the social worG.ersinto the hands of the !oliticians. The movement could ta"e !ermanent roots 'in the #ndian soil only afte> the close of 1orld 1ar #. This situation was due to i/The industrial unrest that grew u! as a result of grave economic difficulties created by war. The rising cost of living !rom!ted the wor"ers to demand reasonable wages for which !ur!ose they united to ta"e resort to collective action. .ii/The 4wara0 movement intensified the movement, widened the gulf between the em!loyers and the em!loyees and brought about a mass awa"ening among the wor"ers demanding racial e2uality with their British em!loyers. The new consciousness !roduced restlessness, discontent, a s!irit of definance as well as a new ideal and as!irations. .iii/ The success of the Bussian Bevolution of )-)+ created a revolutionary wave of ideas and a new self-res!ect and enlightenment, and added momentum to the feeling of classconsciousness among labourers. .iv/The establishment of the #. .&., in )-)-, gave dignity to the wor"ing class and also an o!!ortunity to send a delegation to the annual conference of this body. #t was from this body that labour movement in various countries derived their ins!iration, hel! and guidance. .v/ #mmediately after the war many #ndian soldiers .who !reviously belonged to the wor"ing class/ in the British army were demobili$ed and forced into the labour mar"et. These e%-soldiers who had seen wor"ers and the wor"ing conditions in 5uro!e .found that 1estern wor"ers en0oyed better conditions of living because of their greater solidarity and of more o!!ortunities available to them but #ndian wor"ers were denied these o!!ortunities. By )-;<, a large class of genuine !roletariat develo!ed. (ence, these were new' o!!ortunities for the creation of trade unions. .vi/The non co-o!erative movement of Dandhi0i during )-;<-;)and his su!!ort to the demands of industrial labour also greatly influenced the wor"ing class movement. At ,about this time> many unions were formed, such as the #ndian 4eamen's 6nion both at Calcutta and 8umbai, the Pun0ab Press 5m!loyees Association, the D.#.P. Bailway 1or"ers6nion, Bombay, 8.4.8. Bailwaymen's 6nion, 8adras, the 8adras Te%tile, abour &nion, the Postmen and Port Trust 5m!loyees 6nion at Bombay and Calcutta,

the =amshed!ur abour Association, the #ndian Colliery 5m!loyees' Association of =haria, and the unions of em!loyees of various railways. The 8adras Te%tile 6nion was the first union io the modern sense which was formed in )-)* by B.P. 1adia. Three #a'tor4 ere re4"on4ib!e #or it4 #ormation9 ). e%tremely short interval for mid-day meal, ;. fre2uent assaults on wor"ers by the 5uro!ean assistants, @.inade2uate wages in the face of ra!idly increasing !rices. This union ado!ted collective bargaining and used trade unionism as a wea!on for classstruggle. The union was successful in getting the mid-day interval e%tended to an hour. #t also tried to bring about the u!liftment of wor"ers by o!ening a co-o!erative society and a library for its members. Altogether, )+ new unions were formed between the end of )-)+ and the end of )-)-. ;+#n )-;<, a 4!inners' 6nion, as well as 1eavers' 6nion, was formed at Ahmedabad at the initiative of 8ahatma Dandhi. The Te%tile abour Association was formed in )-;< at the initiation of Dandhi0i. #t ado!ted the ideology of Truth and 7on-violence as its means to get the demands fulfilled. &n &ctober @<, )-;<, re!resentatives of ?9 trade unions with a membershi! of )9<,*,9, met in Bombay and established the All-#ndia Trade 6nion Congress under-the chairmanshi! of ala a0!at Bai #t had the su!!ort of such national leaders li"e C.B. Aas, 4ardar Fallabhbhai Patel, 8oti al 7ehru, =, . 7ehru, 4ubhash Chandra Bose, Dul$arilal 7anda and others from the #ndian 7ational Congress. This loose, federal organisation was brought into being chiefly to facilitate the selection of delegates to re!resent #ndian labour at the )).<conference, but it also set before itself the tas" of co-ordinating the activities of several individual unions e%isting in the country, !romoting the interests of lndian labour in economical, social and !olitical matters and mobilising the labour force in the service of the 4wara0 movement. The total number of unions affiliated to A#T6C was );, with a membershi! of ;., la"hs. The wor"ers organisations s!rang u! all over #ndia chiefly in the 0ute and cotton te%tiles, in the railways and among the tran4!ort wor"ers in general. The subse2uent inter-war !eriod saw the consolidation of the trade union movement, the assertion of the rights of the wor"ers, !eriodic industrial stri"e and first attem!ts in evolving a machinery for the !revention and settlement of industrial dis!utes. #t is estimated that between ;., and ,.<< la"h wor"ers were organised into unions at this time. The trade unionism, after )-)-, s!read to centres other than Chennai3 Ahmedabad and Bombay. Diri observed that, "Auring the 2uin2uennium ending )-;,, the number of unions increased nearly four-fold and their membershi! increased much more. The labour movement was truly united and there was com!lete harmon@.'and co-o!eration among all sections of the wor"ing class. #n the words of the Boyal Commission on abour, "The world-wide u!rising of labour consciousness e%tended to #ndia, where, for the first time, the mass of industrial wor"ers awo"e to their disabilities, !articularly in the mattH of wages -and hours' and to the !ossibility of combination. The effect of this surge was enhanced by !olitical turmoil

which added to the !revailing, feeling of unrest and assisted to !rovide a willing leader of a trade union movement. The influence of nationalist !olitics on the labour movement had mi%ed results. #t added intensity, but it also tended to increase bitterness and introduced in the minds of many em!loyers a hostile bias against the movement. This, in turn tended to obscure the 0ustice of many of the demands made through the movement was based on genuine and !ressing needs. The movement however,did not ma"e any steady !rogress in the well established te%tile industries. #t was' develo!ed only in railways, !osts and telegra!hs, shi!!ing, engineering and communication but was wea" amongst the mine, 0ute and cotton te%tile wor"ers. A ma0ority of the unions were loose with very little continuity, formed fot some tem!orary and immediate !ur!ose such as getting' enhanced wages and most of them were stri"e committees which li2uidated as' soon as the demands were' met.Iuite a good number of 'the unions 'that were formed were only in name> #t is estimated that +,J of the unions formed during the !eriod died in the subse2uent !eriod when trade unions activity was at a low ebb. Among the !olitical,leaders who entered into the trade union movement at this time were such national leaders as C>B. Aas, 8oti al 7ehru, =awaharlal 7ehru, 4ubhash Chandra Bose, F.F. Dirl. Besides active Communist leaders li"e 4hri!at Amrit Aange, 4.4. 8ira0"ar, C7. =ogle"ar, 4F. Dhate, Ahundira0 Thengdi, B.4. 7imba"ar, Phili! 4!ratt, and 4. 4a"latwala. . (2. LE)T/WING UNIONI&M 5ERIOD ($-01/$-21. #n )-;9, a violent and long-drawn-out stri"e by unions led to the arrest, !rosecution, conviction and im!risonment of many communist leaders. The A#T6C emerged as' the sole re!resentative of the #ndian wor"ing class. By )-;+ it united ,+ unions with a membershi! of ),<,,,,. The ra!id growth of the trade unionism was facilitated by several factors, such as> (i) the growth of anti-im!eralist national movement3 .ii/the brutal violence and re!ressive measures let loose by the British government, !articularly the =allianwala Bagh massacre, Bowlatt Act, indiscriminate arrests and im!risonment of national leaders and Satyagrahis; .iii/the !henomenal !rofits earned by the ca!italists in the face of falling real wages during the !ost-war !eriod. By )-;?-;+, wor"ers and !easants' !arties s!rang u! in )-;*> various local units of these !arties were united into an All-#ndia 1or"ers' and Peasants' Party. #ts formation gave an im!etus to the left influence in the wor"ing class movement and many trade unions o!ted for left wing leadershi!. This resulted in a large number of stri"es. #n )-;*, the man-days lost totalled to @)? la"hs. The communists regained their influence in the trade union field by organising the cotton mills wor"ers of Bombay in the Dirni Camgar Union .Bed flag/ and the wor"ers of the D.#.P. Bailway in D#P Bailwaymen's 6nion. These two unions had ,9,<<< and 9,,<<< members res!ectively. The communists were entrenched in the trade unions in Bombay, Ahmedabad, Aelhi and Calcutta. The influence of the communists was so great that the government had to stage in )-;- one of the longest and costliest trials of the world .namely, the 8eerut Cons!iracy Case/ which lasted for 9 K

years and involved a total cost of Bs ;<la"hs. #n this stri"e as many as @) ring leaders were arrested. The 8eerut Trial attem!ted to crush .the movement. The moderates .li"e Aiwan Chammanlal, F.F. Diri, 7.8. =oshi, B. 4hiva Bao and Duruswamy etc,/ who were stigmati$ed as wea"-"need, lost their hold in several industrial centres. Two distinct !arties grew in the movement called by some as the -'Rightists' and 'Leftists' and by others 'Geneva-Amsterdam group' and 'Muscovites' (eated discussions too" !lace on 2uestions of international !olicies and ideologies of the wor"ing class movement. The eftists demanded that -the A#T6C be affiliated to the Third #nternational (i!e!" the eague against #m!erialism -the Pan Pacific Trade 6nion 4ecretariat, 8oscow/, a camouflaged communist organi$ation while the Bightist !referred the #nternational :ederation of Trade 6nions .Amsterdam/. 4econd, 'Bightists, o!!osed militant action, social stri"es, and demanded that trade unions should concern themselves more with economic issues rather than !olitical action. &n the other hand the leftists argued that trade unions are class organisations the ultimate aim of which is to overthrow ca!italism and establish a 4ocialist society. They, therefore, !ointed out that, the wor"ing class should resort to militant action and combine economic with !olitical struggle in order to ca!ture !olitical !ower, :inding com!romise with the communists unacce!table the moderates .under the eadershi! of 7.8.=oshi/ and the re!resentatives of ;9 affiliated unions seceded from-the A#T6C saying that, "the control and direction of the new ma0ority in, the 5%ecutive. Council will be fundamentally o!!osed to the genuine interests ofthe wor"ing class." They formed 'a se!arate union - the A## $ndia %rade Union :ederation .A#T6:/.The s!lit reduced the strength of the A#T6C from ,) affiliated unions with a membershi! of nearly - la"hs to ;) unions with, a membershi! of -9 thousands. Accordingly as a result of-the s!lit, the A#T6C resembled 4amson 'shorn of his loc"s'. The new federation believed more in constructive !olicies of furthering the interests of the wor"ing class. By )-@<, )<9 unions were registered with a total membershi! of ;.9; la"hs. #n )-@), there was another rift in the A#T6C at the Culcutta session due to the fundamental differences between the communists and the left wing unionists. The Comunists led by B.T. Banadive and '4.F.Aesh!ande, formed the Bed Trade 6nion Congress .BT6C/. Thus at the beginning of the thirties, the trade union movement !resented a !icture of disunity. There were three unions, namely, (i) the A#T6C, led by the Boyists and militant nationalists (ii) the A#T6:,led by Congress nationalists and moderates. The radicals wanted to ma"e it a mass organisation and use it as a !latform for voicing !olitical demands (iii) the BT6C, consisting of orthodo% communists the ob0ective of which was dictatorshi! of the !roletariat. Besides, there were some other inde!endent organisations which followed their own methods and !olicies notable among them being the All #ndia Bailwaymen's :ederation .A#B:L and the Te%tile abour Association.T A/of Ahmedabad. The A#B: originally started in )-;) and after dormancy, again revived in )-;,, grew ra!idly thereafter. Practically all the railway unions were affiliated with it for the time being.

(1. TRADE UNION:& UNIT8 5ERIOD ($-2,/$-2*. #n mid-thirties of the ;<th century the state of divided labour movement was natural thought undesirable and soon after the first s!lit, attem!ts at trade union unity began to be made through, the efforts of the Boy Drou! on the basis of 'a !latform of unity'. The initiative ta"en by All #ndia Bailwaymen's :ederation .a neutral body/ had shown fruitful results. This :ederation in its conference at Bombay, formed a Trade 6nion 6nity Committee in )-@;. The Committee ado!ted the following "!latform of unity"> "A tradH union is an organ of class-struggle3 its basic tas" is to organise the wor"ers for advancing and defending their rights and interests. 7egotiation, re!resentations and other methods of collective bargaining must remain an integral !art of the trade union activities. #t also laid down certain broad conclusions agreeable to both wings of labour E the A#T6: and the #7T6C. The final decision was ta"en in Aelhi in )-@@Hwhen 7ational :ederation of abour .7: / was formed to facilitate the attem!t towards unit. The A#T6: and the railway unions amalgamated themselves with the 7: under the name of the 7ational Trade 6nion :ederation .7T6:/. The AlT6C and the BT6C however, remained aloof from these efforts. The division in the #ndian labour movement was !roving very costly for the #ndian wor"ing class. #n )-@@, more than ,<,<<< wor"ers in Bombay city were thrown out of em!loyment. By )-@9, almost every mill in Bombay brought down wages by a substantial reduction. The total number of mandays lost was 9+.+ la"hs as against ;).+ la"hs in )-@@. The labour movement was "in the throes, of shar! growing !ains. #ts s!irit was shattered and its ran"s were rac"ed by fractional strife. 6nder the circumstances unity in labour movement was essential, #n )-@,, the BT6C was merged into the A#T6C the main features of which were The recognition of the A#T6C as the central organi$ation, the acce!tance of the !rinci!les of class struggle and one union for each industry, the !rohibition of affiliation with any foreign organisation, the !rovision of choosing delegates every year for the #nternational abour Conference on the basis of ma0ority. in the annual session of the Trade ,&nion Congress3 and the grant of the right consistent ,with disci!line' of free !ro!aganda and criticism to every grou! and !arty, within the unified organisation. The unity efforts we're synchronised by a !o!ular u!heaval as evidenced by the )-@+ general elections. The #ndian 7ational Congress a!!roached the wor"ing class with the !ledge that it would endeavour> "To secure to the industrial wor"ers a decent standard of living, hours of wor"and conditions of.labour in conformity, as far as economic conditions of the country !ermit, with international standards, suitable machinery for the settlement of dis!utes between em!loyers and wor"men, !rotection against economic conse2uences of old-age, sic"ness and unem!loyment, and the right orM wor"ers to form unions and to strive for the !rotection of their interests," As a result of this alluring manifesto, the Congress Dovernment assumed charge in seven

)<

states and a big change occurred. There was a new u!surge of industrial unrest culminating in big stri"es. #n. )-@+, there were @+- stri"es, which involved ?.9+ la"h wor"ers and resulted in a loss of *-.*; la"h mandays. The inauguration of the Provincial Autonomy, the greater freedom en0oyed wor"ers from the Congress ministries in the assertion of their rights to organise, the larger re!resentation accorded to organised labour in various Provincial Assemblies and the diminishing attitude of hostility on the !art of several em!loyers towards trade unionism led to a remar"able increase in the number and membershi! of the unions. The number of trade unions increased from ;+) in )-@?-@+ to ,?; in )-@*-@-,'and the membershi! rose from ;.?)la"hs to @.-- la"hs. The one im!ortant develo!ment of this !eriod was that through the efforts of F.F. Dirl. The !ath to unity was !aved in )-@* in 7ag!ur when the A#T6C finally decided to acce!t the conditions of merger as laid down by the 7T6:. @+ Thus, after - years of s!lit the trade union unity was com!lete in )-9< when the 7T6: dissolved itself and merged with the A#T6C and the A#T6C again became the sole re!resentative of the organised labour. According to Pune"ar, "Auring the decade )-@<-9< #ndian trade, unionisH was a divided house and the average industrial wor"er "e!t himself aloof from organised action." (,. &E7OND WORLD WAR 5ERIOD ($-2-/$-1,. The 4econd 1orld 1ar, which bro"e out in 4e!tember )-@-, created new strains in the ,united trade union movement. These strains arose because of the different !olitical factions in the A#T6C related in different ways to the role of #ndia as a !rotagonist in the war. A large grou! of trade unionists led by the members of the Badical Aemocratic>Party .such as 8.7. Boy, =. 8ehra,8iss 8aniben Cara and F.B. Carni"/ was of the o!inion that the A#T6C should, su!!ort and !artici!ate in the anti-fascist war irres!ective of the acts of omission and commission of the British' government. An e2ually large number .su!!orted by 4.C Bose and others/ were o!!osed to that view on the ground that it was an im!erialist war of Dreat Britain with which #ndia had no concern. (ence, again a rift too" !lace in )-9) and 'the Badicals left the A#T6C with nearly ;<< unions with a membershi! of @,<<,<<< and formed a new central federation "nown as the $ndian &ederation of La'our! #n )-9;, this :ederation was recognised by the government as an organi$ation re!resenting #ndian labour class. The #: called> .i/ for mobilisation of #ndian labour for conscious and !ur!oseful !artici!ation in the industrial !rogramme geared to the needs of the war and (ii)for securing for the wor"ers bare minimum of wages and amenities which the wartime conditions demanded and without which maintenance of wor"ers' morale was an im!ossibility. #n this effort it was aided by the Dovernment of #ndia, by !roviding large funds at the rate of Bs. )@,<<< !er month. The #: grew very ra!idly and by )-99, it claimed ;;; unions with a membershi! of 9<+,++@ wor"ers. The shifts in the national !olitical situation continued to affect the very fibre of the #ndian trade union movement. The' two develo!ments of significance in this connection were the Derman invasion of Bussia in =une )-9) and the intensification of the struggle for #ndian #nde!endence in )-9;. 1hen (itler invaded Bussia, the communists abandoned their !olicy of o!!osition of war and declared their su!!ort. As a result in =uly )-9; the communist leaders were released from 0ail. The #ndian 7ational Congress had launched a

))

!olicy of non-coo!eration at, the beginning of the war. ByAugust')-9;, the !olitical atmos!here had become highly charged and cries of. "Iuit #ndia" flew about li"e so many s!ar"s of electricity. A large number of Congressites and 4ocialists were arrested, with the result that the non-Communist strength, in the A#T6C, es!ecially at the level of the to! leadershi! dwindled and the organisation fell into the hands of the Communists. Auring war-time ceratin factors hel!ed to enhance the status of the trade unions in the country, namely, .a/ The government as well as em!loyers launched number of labour welfare measures with a view to increase !roduction of war materials and other essential goods and maintain high !rofits. (') Becognition to trade union was accorded by many em!loyers. This fact gave a moral strength to the unions. (c) Ban was !laced on the stri"es and loc"outs, during war-time, under the Aefence of #ndia Bules *=-A, and all dis!utes had to be referred to ad0udication and their awards were enforced. (d) A Tri!artite abour Conference was convened in )-9;, for the first time, to !rovide a common !latform for discussions and mutual understanding between the labour and the em!loyers. Auring war-time, the trade union Estrength grew from 9;< in )-@+-@* to *?, in )-99-9,3 and the membershi! from @.-< la"hs to *.*-#a"hs. The later years of war witnessed an intense rivalry between the trade unions, the AlT6C and #: for !rimacy in the field of leadershi!. The investigations in )-99, of the Chief Commission of abour, gave verdict that "A#T6C was increasingly becoming more re!resentative from almost every !oint of view, and that I)L a4 gradually losing on that score." The basis of this decision was that the membershi! of I)L was only 9<+,++@ as against 9,?,<<< of the A#T6C. #n )-9+, ?<) unions were affiliated to it with a membershi! of nearly * la"hs. Thus, by the end of the war there were> three !rinci!a) !olitical grou!s. in the >field> The Communist dominating the A#T6C3 the Boyist having a hold on the #: and the 7ationalist and the 4ocialist trying to build u! a labour front which was limited to only two centres- Ahmedabad and =amshed!ur The im!act of the 4econd 1orld 1ar .,on>the trade union, activity was .tremendous.&ne great 2ualitative change that had ta"en !lace in #ndian trade unions related to their ability to !artici!ate in negotiations with em!loyers and the tri!artite deliberations. T;E 5O&T INDE5ENDEN7E 5ERIOD ()rom $-1+ to 0<<<. As !ointed out earlier3 when attem!ts to restructure the AlT6C failed, those believing in the aims and ideals other than those of the AlT6C 4e!arated from the organi$ation and estabtished the #ndian 7ational Trade.6nion Congress .#7T6C/in 8ay, )-9+. The reason for forming a new union was e%!ressed in, the communication ofD. 7anda .the 4ecretary of the (>8.4.4./ addressed to all the Congress-minded, trade ,unionists. #t reads> "Congressmen in general and !articularly those wor"ing in the field of labour, have found it very difficult ,to co-o!erate 'any longer with the A#T6C which has re!eatedly been ado!ting a course com!letely disregarding, or even in o!!osition to the declared !olicy and advice of the #ndian 7ational Congress.

);

The (industan 8a$door 4eva" 4angh convened a conference in 7ew Aelhi &n 8ay @ and 9, )-9+. A resolution was ado!ted to set u! another central organisatiIn. &n 4e!tember ;,, )-9+, the 1or"ing Committee of the #ndian 7ational Congress recommended to all N Congressmen to get those unions, which they organised and of which they were the members, affiliated to the -newly formed #ndian 7ational Trade 6nion," ater, on =anuary ;<, )-9*3 4ardar Fallabhbhai Patel, while addressing a labour rally at Bombay, e%horted the wor"ers to do away with the destructive leadershi! of the leftists who had been e%!loiting them for their own !olitical ends and as"ed them to 0oin the #7T6C. The creation of the #7T6C was a confession both of the failure to create favourable conditions in the A#T6C and of the government and Congress !arty im!atient with the leadershi! of the A#T6C which had come com!letely under the domination of the Communists.

)@

The #7T6C was formed by (industan 8a$door 4eva" 4angh, a creation of !ro Dandhi wing in the Congress, who were associated with the Te%tile abour Association of Ahmedabad. The AT A became the' guiding and driving force behind the #7T6C. #t also su!!lied ,,,<<< of the #7T6 initial membershi! of ,+,,<<<.9; The long e%!erience of the AT A in trade union affairs also resulted in a large !ro!ortion of the #7T6C leaders coming from Ahmedabad. As &ranti !uts it, "#deologically as well as administratively the bloodstream of the #7T&C flows from Ahmedabad. (ere the AT A !rovides it with a strong membershi! nucleus, a rich treasury, and a cadre with a long e%!erience in labour wor"." The l7T6C itself 0oined the #nternational Confederation of :ree Trade 6nions .#C:T6/as a! affiliate. The #7T6C had at the time of its ince!tion ;<< unions affiliated with it with a membershi! of ,+,,<<<. #t grew ra!idly in strength and it had the claim of being recognised as "the most re!resentative central organisation of organised labour in #ndia". The AlT6C, which for nearly @< years had been considered as the "Foice of #ndian abour," thus lost its !remier !osition.99According to its s!onsors, "the #7T6C re!resented an attem!t to go to the wor"ing class with a new and fresh a!!roach to the solution of the !roblems. The #7T6C was founded for establishing an order of society which is free from hindrances to an all-round develo!ment of its individual members which fosters the growth of human !ersonality in all its as!ects and which goes to the utmost limit in !rogressively eliminating social, !olitical and economical e%!loitation and ine2uality, the !rofit motive and economic activity and organi$ation of society and the anti-social concentration of !ower in any form. 4ince the beginning the #7T6C shared and su!!orted the !olitical outloo" of the #ndian 7ational Congress its !o!ular image was identified with that of the Congress, and hence, its !olicies are sub0ect to directives of the Congess !arty. The constitution of the #7T6C em!hasi$es negotiation. conciliation and, if necessary, the ad0udication of industrial dis!utes. #t believes in democratic and !eaceful methods, which are in harmony with the traditions, culture and, , as!irations of the !eo!le. 1hen the 4ocialist grou! bro"e away from the Congress in )-9* and formed a new !olitical !arty .Pra0a 4ocialist/,socialist trade union leaders who were o!erating within, the #7T6C seceded from it and formed.a new central trade union or2anisation called the (industan 8a$door (anchayat .(8P/.This organi$ation and the #ndian :ederation of abour came together under the name of )ind Ma*door Sa'ha .(84/,the main ob0ective being to organi$e and !romote the establishment of a democratic socialist society. The (84 was launched ostensibly with a view to ""ee! the trade union movement from domination by government and !olitical !arties and the methods to be em!loyed were .to be !eaceful, legitimate und democratic. A grou! of left-wing trade unionist dissatisfied with the attitude of the ma0ority of the socialist !arty, who had influence in the (84, formed yet another organisation> 6nited

)9

Trade Union Congress .6T6C/in )-9-, "to conduct trade union activity on the broadest !ossible basis of trade union unity, free from sectarian !olitics". ed by leaders of the leftist !arties the 6T6C co-o!erated with the communists even, though o!!osed to the Communist !arty em!hasis on violence. Thus by )-9- the trade union movement was s!lit again-with the #7T6C, the' A#T6C, the (84 and the 6T6C re!resenting the 'four rival grou!s and a few national federations and unions remaining unaffiliated with any of them. The close relationshi! of the #7T6C with -the-Congress !arty, of the (84 with the 4ocialist !arty, of the A#T6C with the Communist !arty3 and of the 6T6C with the Bevolutionary 4ocialist !arty and other s!linter !arties of the 'left was and is indicative of the continuing !olitical involvement of the trade union movement. After )-,;, a-number of efforts were made for bringing about unity in the movement. #n )-,@, a 0oint meeting of the A#T6C and 6T6C was held but the negotiations failed. #n )-,? various central organisations !assed resolutions reaffirming their faith in the united movement and made attem!ts to reach some understanding. The #7T6C and the (84 tried to evolve a code of behaviour based on the lines of not creating rival unions, if the e%isting union was strong and withdrawing wea" unions, discuss common issues at the to! in the beginning and if no agreement was reached in those discussions, each organisation should be free to follow its own course. The wor"ing committee of the (84 stated that 'a live and lasting unity must be on the !rinic!les of the internal democracy in the activities of the unified central organisation and affiliated trade unions3 freedom from e%ternal influence .from the interference by the government or !olitical !arties/3 and wor"ers' verdict in-the field of e%isting rivalries. The A#T6C elaborated these three !rinci!les and evolved a nine-!oint !rogramme. #t a!!ealed to all the central organisations to initiate a united cam!aign and movement to secure certain agreed demands. (owever, nothing substantial came out. #n )-,*, the general secretary of the #nternational Confederation of :ree Trade 6nions made an attem!t to bring about unity between the (84 and the #7T6 but the attem!t failed as both the organisations felt that agreement was inadvisable. #n )-,*, the (84 and the 6T6C reached an agreement to create a 0oint front against the A#T6C which was wor"ing in roads in their membershi!. #n )-,-.,a few unions led by the members of the 4ocialist !arty seceded from the (84 and formed )ind Ma*door (anchayat! This is the organisation of the 4amyu"ta 4ocialist !arty and was launched in )-?;. #n )-?;, a new organisation called +onfederation of &ree %rade Unions was formed as a result of the active interest ta"en in its formation by the #nternational Confederation of Christian Trade 6nions, and the su!!ort of the 4watantra Party. At the .time of a Chinese aggression, the #7T6C and the (84 attac"ed the A#T6C for its communist leadershi! and accused it of anti-social activities. The #7T6C also demanded that it should be considered the only re!resentative organi$ation as it had absolute ma0ority against all the three unions combined.

),

"Auring all these years the tal" of trade union unity was very much in the air, but all ended in smo"e. 7o organisational unity could be achieved between the four organisations, the (84, the A#T6C and the 6T6C wor"ed together insome !laces or issues. The #7T6C, however, "e!t itself com!letely aloof from all such united front activities. There was again a rift in the A#T6C in )-+<, when the Communists divided themselves into the CP# and the CP8. The A#T6C came under the control of the former and the CP8 started a new central organisation-the Centre of $ndian %rade 6nion .C#T6/. The s!lit in the #ndian 7ational Congress in two se!arate grou!s in )-+; further resulted in a change in the #7T6C. The Buling Congress retained its control on the #7T6C and the &rganisation Congress .old/ severed itself from the #7T6C and formed a new union ,-ationa# La'our &rganisation .7 &/.To this organisation are affiliated the unions in Du0arat and Cerala. Another interesting develo!ment too" !lace in 8ay )-+;. At a series of discussions at the ;-th session of the 4tanding abour Committee .=uly ;@ and ;9,)-+</, at the ;+th session of the . #ndian abour Conference .&ctober ;;,.;@, )-+)/, and at se!arate conferences with Central &rganisations of Trade 6nions held in )-+), there was a limited accord among the re!resentatives of the #7T6C, the A#T6C, and the (84 regarding the !rocedure to be followed for the recognition of trade unions. The consensus was that v$rltlcation of membershi! !rocedure will be resorted to if there were two large unions in a !lant and that election by secret ballot would be held if such verification showed a. difference of less than a !re-determined !ercentage. &n the basis of this consensus and also because of a strong feeling that the C#T6 union was ma"ing significant gains in the trade union movement, a 7ational Council of Central Trade 6nions .7CCT6/ with re!resentatives of the A#T6C, the #H6C and the (84 was set u! to !rovide a common !latform for trade union activities. The basic idea was to isolate the C#T6. The latter soon set u! a United +ounci# of %rade Unions .6CT6/in 4e!tember, )-+;, as a rival body to the 7CCT6. (owever, since then, both these bodies have ceased to e%ist. After the declaration of the 5mergency in the year again, the #7T6C, the A#T6C, and the (84 combined and 0oined with the em!loyers' re!resentatives on what was called the 7ational A!e% Body. 1ith the lifting of the 5mergency and the installation of the =anata Party government at the Centre, this body ceased to e%ist The !ost-war !eriod has been mar"ed by the most ra!id strides so far made by the trade union movement in #ndia. The most im!ortant factors being> (i) The constant inflow of outside and international influences3 .ii/ The !ressure of trade union rivalries often based on !olitical or ideological differences3 .iii/ Dovernment's #ndustrial Belations Policy with its !rovision for com!ulsory ad0udication machinery.

)?

.iv/ The enactment of labour laws conferring s!ecial !rivileges on registered trade unions3 .v/ Aesire of wor"ers to unite for safeguarding their interests es!ecially to face harder conditions for labour such as retrenchment, lay-off, etc and .vi/ Attem!ts made by some em!loyers to set u! unions under their influence. 5re4ent &'enario o# the Trade Union Movement The #ndian trade unions have come to stay now not as ad hoc bodies or stri"e committees but as !ermanent features of the industrial society. The !olitical, economic,' historical and international factors have all hel!ed the unions to get a legal status and they now re!resent the . wor"ers.They have succeeded in organising central 6nion :ederations which hel! an the determination of !rinci!les, !hiloso!hy, ideology and !ur!oses the unions and give some sense of direction to the otherwise scattered and isolated large number of unions. The unions have achieved a remar"able status where' their voices are heard by the Dovernment and the em!loyers, they are consulted on matters !ertaining to im!rovement in conditions of wor", health and safety, 0ob security, wages , !roductivity all matters concerning the interests of labour. The unions have created for them a !latform to air their views3 !olicies and ideologies both at the state level and national level in the 4tanding abour Committee and the, #ndian abour Conference. The reasons for multi!licity of unions were varied such as> The high as!irations of wor"ers in the attainment of !olitical inde!endence. nonfulfillment and deterioration of their economic conditions and the recognition of unions for their !artici!ation in management and !olitical involvement in the labour field, al# during the !ost-inde!endence !eriod, A large number of small-si$ed unions arose at local level, but they were sub0ect to infant mortality. The trade unions in #ndia have been allied with one or the other !olitical !arties, not in the nature of !artnershi! based on e2uality and inde!endence, as in 5ngland. but as mere ad0uncts of the !olitical !arties. They are the hand-maids of the po#itica# !arties. Trade union rivalries have become more shar! in free #ndia. The s!litting u! of unions and formation of new unions having sym!athies with !olitical !arties have !ermeated unions o!erating at different levels. Through the status the unions have gained. the unions have been able to influence !ublic !olicy, labour and industrial legilsation. They have !layed an im!ortant role in evolving suitable machinery of 0oint consultation to negotiate various issues between labour and management. 4ubtle changes are visible in the !attern .of !olitical unionism which have led to an

)+

increasing recognition of the need for consolidating the gains and a diminished interest in !urely !olitical matters. These changes have manifested in three ways> &irst . %here has develo!ed a distinction between !olitical leaders with a secondary interest in labour union activity and labour leaders with a secondary !olitical interest. 8ore em!hasis is being !aid to labour leadershi! by giving !ointed attention to the im!rovement of union cadres, finances and training in official administration. Second." the national federations have shown greater interest in long-term activities designed to build u! !ersonnel and organisational side of the trade unions, even while maintaining the !atterns of rivalry. 7ow trade union federation arranges for the training of wor"ers' education". %hird" there has been a greater recognition in !ractice of the need for unions to function as autonomous units rather than sim!ly as a!!endages of the !olitical !arties."

)*