GROWTH OF TRADE

UNION IN INDIA
CONTENTS
 Definition

 Why Trade Union Movement?

 Social Welfare Period (1875-1918)

 Early Trade Union Period (1918-1924)

 Left-Wing Trade Unionism Period (1924-1934)

 Trade Unions’ Unity Period (1935-1938)

 Second World War Period (1939-1945)

 Post-independence Period (1947 to-date).

 In the words of Indian Trade Union Act, 1926, “A trade union is any combination, whether
temporary or permanent, formed primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations
between workmen and employers, or between workmen and workmen, between employers
and employers, or for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or
business, and includes any federation of two or more trade unions.”
Why Trade Union Movement?

 During the early period large scale industries were being set.
 Wage-earners the new class of workers
 era where the doctrine of laissez faire was in control

disadvantage for the wage-earners

 Individual workers protested  no change.
 workers came together for bargaining their rights  inadequate.
 practice of joint withdrawal  formation of trade unions.
 SOCIAL WELFARE PERIOD (1875-1918)
• The Regulation Period (1875-1891)
• The Abolition Period (1891-1917)
• Indian Factories Act, 1881
• Bombay Millhands Association (1890)
• 1904-1911, remarkable advances in labor movement.
• Highlighted beginning of political consciousness of Indian working class.

The period of temporary organizations and a period of labor movement

 EARLY TRADE UNION PERIOD (1918-1924)
• Rising cost of living • Developed in railways, posts, shipping,
• Swaraj movement (racial equality) engineering, communication.
• Russian Revolution,1917(class • Weak in mine, jute, cotton textile
consciousness) industries.
• Madras Textile Union,1918 • Majority of unions had-
• Extreme short interval mid-day meals • little continuity
• Assault on workers • temporary / immediate purpose
• Inadequate wages
• International Labor Organization, 1919
(opportunity to send delegation to annual
conference)
• Non co-operative movement of
Gandhiji,1920-21
• Textile Labor Association,1920
 LEFT-WING TRADE UNIONISM PERIOD
(1924-1934)
• All-India Workers’ and Peasants’ Party, 1928 At the beginning of thirties,
• Cotton mill workers of Bombay in the Girni • AITUC, by Royists and militant nationalists.
Kamgar Union (Red Flag) and G.I.P. Railway • AITUF, by Congress nationalists and
in GIP Railwaymen’s Union. moderates.
• Rightists and Leftists • RTUC, consisting of orthodox communists.
1. AITUC be affiliated to
the Third International
2. establish Socialist society.
1. International Federation
of Trade Unions
2. more concern on
economic issues than political issues.
TRADE UNIONS’ UNITY PERIOD (1935-
1938)
 Platform of unity : “A trade union is an organ of class-struggle; its basic
task is to organize the workers for advancing & defending their rights and
interests. Negotiation, representations & other methods of collective
bargaining must remain an integral part of the trade union activities.”
 NFL formed-AITUF & Railways amalgamated  NTUF.
 1935, RTUC merged into AITUC
 Through efforts of V.V. Giri, path to unity paved in 1938, Nagpur
 AITUC finally accepted conditions of merger by NTUF.
 SECOND WORLD WAR PERIOD (1939-
1945)
 Radical Democratic Party had the view that AITUC should support, participate in anti-fascist war
of British government.
 S.C. Bose supporters opposed it.
 Radicals left AITUC and formed new central federation :Indian Federation of Labor.
 Tripartite Labor Conference, 1942
 The IFL called for-
 Mobilization of Indian Labor for conscious & purposeful participation
 Security for the workers
 Three principal political groups –
 Communist dominating the AITUC
 Royist having a hold on IFL
 Nationalist & Socialist trying to build up a ‘labor front’.
POST-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD (1947 TO-
DATE).
 Indian National Trade Union Congress, May 1947
 In 1949, trade union movement was split again with- INTUC, AITUC, Hind
Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), United Trade Union Congress (UTUC)
 1970, the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU)
 1972, National Labor Organization (NLO)
 At the end, INTUC, AITUC and HMS combined and joined with employer’s
representatives, National Apex Body.
 After installation of Janata Party government at the centre, this body
ceased to exist.