Objective of TU

OBJECTIVES OF TRADE UNION
A discussion on TU movement cannot be better begun by than by a quotation from

Samuel Gompers, the founder President of American Federation of Labor. To quote
him,” TUs were born of the necessity of workers to protect and defend themselves
from encroachment, injustice and wrong ….. to protect the workers in their
inalienable rights to higher and better life; to protect them , not only as equals before
the laws , but also in their right to the product of their law ; to protect their lives ; their
limbs, their health, their homes, their firesides ,their liberties as men, as workers , as
citizens ; to overcome and conquer prejudice and antagonism; to secure them the
right to life, and the opportunity to maintain that life, the right to be full shares in the
abundance which is the result of their brain and brown, and the civilization of which
they are the founder and the mainstay.”
The main objective of TU is the protection and promotion of the interest of their
members in particular, and workers in general. The primary function of TU s is to
protect the workers against the excesses committed by the employers and to meet
other needs of the workers--- economic, social and political.
This generic goal of protecting and promoting worker’s interests consists of such
specific objectives as
1. Improved economic status
2. Shorter working period
3. Improvement of working and living conditions
4. Income security EG pension, provident fund, compensation for work-injuries and

unemployment, obtaining job security such as protection against lay-off,
retrenchment and victimization and so on.
5. Better health, safety and welfare standard;
6. Respect for the personality of the workers, human treatment from supervisors and
others;
7. Greater voice in industrial administration and management by the establishment of

industrial democracy; and
8. Improving political status.
The objectives of the TUs shift over a period of time due to rapid change in the
economic political social and technological perspectives. TU have to mould their
objectives as per the need of the hour.
Earlier the TUs emphasized the wage issue much more than any others. Later on,
the hours of work better working conditions income and job security aspects came to
occupy greater prominence.
But the recent picture of TU activities are not quite satisfactory from the view point of
the workers, now the TUs are more interested in the attainment of their political
objectives they give less time and importance to the interest and requirements of the
working class that’s why workers are getting demotivated to join TUs.
TYPES OF TRADE UNION
ACCORDING TO PURPOSE
1) Reformist unions:- These unions are those which aim at the preservation of the
capitalist society and the maintenance of the usual employer-employee relationship,
elimination of competitive system of production.
They neither seek comprehensive change nor wish to destroy the existing social,
economic or political structure of the state.They desire only to modify these in
accordance with what their members consider to be current modes in Society.
In the USA, the unions affiliated with AFL(American Federation of Labour) is
predominantly of this type.
2) Revolutionary Unions:- These unions are those which aim at destroying the
present structure completely and replacing it with new and different institutions
according to the ideals that are regarded as preferable.
ACCORDING TO MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE
Craft Union:-It is an organization of workers employed in a particular craft or trade

or in a single or two or three related trades/crafts/occupations. Such organizations
link together those workers who have similar skills, craft training and specialization.
The craft unions are mostly found amongst non manual employees and professional
workers. Ahmadabad Weavers’ Union, Mazdoor Sabha are examples of such
Union.
Staff Union:-The term Staff Union is popularly used to refer both craft and industrial
unions. It is an organization or rather a form of organization based on the sense of
common status and common need for help.The staff union seeks to recruit members
from non-manual sectors including clerks, supervisors, draughtsman operators,
managers etc.
Industrial Union:-It is an organization of workers which links all craftsmen and

skilled workers in any one industry(such as coal,engineering,plantation,textiles)
regardless of the differences in craft, skill, grade,position or sex. Its membership is
large and it makes workers class conscious and increases the feeling of solidarity
among them. The Textile Labou Association,Ahmdabad.Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor
Sangh, Bombay.
General Union:- It is that organization which covers various industries and labours
having different types of skills.The Jamshed Labour Union, Jamshedpur.
STRUCTURE OF TRADE UNIONS IN INDIA
In India, the structure of TU consists of three levels; plant/shop or local, the State
and the Ccentre.
There are two types of organizations to which the TUs in India are affiliated:-
i) Natioanal Federation:- Such federations are the apex of TU structure.They are

necessary to bring about coordination in their activities of TUs and give TU policies a
national character.
The TU leadership to these national organizations is generally provided by the
politicians.
The majority of these federations allow their affiliates to bargain independently with
their respective unions.
Examples:-INTUC, AITUC, HMS
ii) The Federation of Unions:-These are combination of various unions for the
purpose of gaining strength and solidarity.They can resort to conserted action, when
the the need for such action arises, without losing their individuality.Such federation
may be local, regional, state, national or international.
GANDHIJI’S APPROACH TO TU
Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy is based upon the “Sarvodaya” principles of truth,

Non-violence and Trusteeship, in which class harmony prevails. He considers TUs
are essentially reformist organizations and economic institutions, which must be
organized on the basis of the assumption that capital and labour are not antagonistic
but are supplementary to each other. He observed, “My ideal is that capital and
labour should supplement and help each other. They should be a great family living
in unity and harmony, capital not only looking to the material welfare of the labours
but their moral welfare also- capitalist being trustees of the welfare of the laboring
classes under them.
Gandhiji’s view was that trade unions should not only undertake the functions
concerned with improving the economic conditions of workers, but also try to raise
the moral and intellectual standards of labour and should bring about an all-round
development through internal efforts. They should also undertake programmes for
teaching supplementary occupations to their members so that uncertainty of
employment during a strike may be reduced to the minimum.
As a matter of fact, Gandhiji was never against strikes as such, he had himself led
some strikes in Ahmdabad and declared that a strike was an inherent right of the
working men for the purpose of securing justice, but it must be considered a crime
immediately the capitalist accept the principles of arbitration.
Gandhiji did not favor unions taking part in political activities for two reasons. First
because the workers were not enlightened. Second, because political parties
exploited workers for their own ends.

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OBJECTIVES OF TRADE UNION

A discussion on TU movement cannot be better begun by than by a quotation from

1. Improved economic status

2. Shorter working period

3. Improvement of working and living conditions

4. Income security EG pension, provident fund, compensation for work-injuries and

5. Better health, safety and welfare standard;

7. Greater voice in industrial administration and management by the establishment of

8. Improving political status.

TYPES OF TRADE UNION

ACCORDING TO MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE

Craft Union:-It is an organization of workers employed in a particular craft or trade

Industrial Union:-It is an organization of workers which links all craftsmen and

i) Natioanal Federation:- Such federations are the apex of TU structure.They are

Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy is based upon the “Sarvodaya” principles of truth,

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