HISTORY OF TRADE UNION

MOVEMENT IN INDIA

Industrial Relations is a
collective relationship between
two parties unlike Human
Relations, which is a one-to-
one, and an interpersonal
relationship.
• . There are two aspects of IR. One is
“Curative” in which a conflict/dispute is
resolved after it has arisen in the industry.
• The other one is “Preventive” in which
the Management takes appropriate steps
to prevent/avoid any dispute. This is also
called “CONSTRUCTIVE INDUSTRIAL
RELATIONS”.
• Collective Bargaining and Joint
Consultations are Preventive forms of IR.
• Trade union as per Trade Union Act
1926 – “ Any combination formed
primarily for the purpose of regulating
the relations between workmen and
employers or workmen and workmen
or 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.”
• From the above definition it is clear that Trade
union is not just an association of the workmen
of a factory or a trade or a business but also
can be formed by officers and managers.
• Trade union movement in India was started and led
by philanthropists (promoting human welfare)and
social organizations and not by the workers.
i)Bombay Presidency - by servants of India society
ii)Eastern India - by Brahmo Samaj
iii)South India centered around Madras - by
Theosophical Society (spiritual)
• Trade union is a direct product of
Industrialization and a very recent
development. In India, the foundation of
modern industry was laid between 1850
and 1870.
• Prior to that trade was confined to individuals
and families like craftsmen and artisans.
They had expertise and specialized skills
which was inherited by their offspring's.
• After Industrial revolution, these people
started losing their individual identities and had
to join factories to earn their livelihood and
compete with mass production.
• There was a psychological dislocation as
they were losing their identities.
 
• Trade unions are essentially the product of
modern large-scale factory method of
production.
• Era: 1914-1917, years following WW1.
• Cause for birth and expansion: Economic
conditions.
• 1914, there were 2936 factories having a work
force of over 1 million besides a large number
of workers employed in railways, mines,
plantation and government departments.
• Workers profile: landless peasants or
agricultural workers.
• Situation: Poverty and unemployment pushed
them to newly developing industrial cities.
• Living/working conditions: Strange and
hostile environment.
• Union Force: Workers could not discover
the power of unity and organization.
• Union workings: engaged in petition
writing, submitting memorial to public
authorities for individual grievances and at
times asking for collective action.
• Labour Structure: Presence of women and
child labour in factories.
 Three phases of Indian trade
union movement
• The first phase: falls between 1850 and 1900
during which the inception of trade unions took
place. During this period, growth of Indian
Capitalist enterprises took place.
• The working and living conditions of the labour
were poor and their working hours were long.
• Capitalists were only interested in their
productivity and profitability. In addition to long
working hours, their wages were low and general
economic conditions were poor in industries
• In order to regulate the working hours and
other service conditions of the Indian textile
labourers, the Indian Factories Act was
enacted in 1881.
• As a result, employment of child labour was
prohibited.
• Mr. N M Lokhande organized people like
Rickshawalas etc., prepared a study report
on their working conditions and submitted it
to the Factory Labour Commission.
• The Indian Factory Act of 1881 was
amended in 1891 due to his efforts
• Guided by educated philanthropists and
social workers like Mr. Lokhande, the
growth of trade union movement was slow
in this phase.
• Many strikes took place in the two
decades following 1880 in all industrial
cities.
• These strikes taught workers to
understand the power of united action
even though there was no union in real
terms.
• Small associations like Bombay Mill-
Hands Association came up.
• The second phase: of The Indian trade
union movement falls between 1900 and
1947. This phase was characterized by
the development of organized trade
unions and political movements of the
working class.
• It also witnessed the emergence of
militant trade unionism.
• The First World War (1914-1918) and
the Russian revolution of 1917 gave a
new turn to the Indian trade union
movement and organized efforts on part of
the workers to form trade union.
• In 1918, B P Wadia organized trade
union movements with Textile mills in
Madras. He served strike notice to
them and workers appealed to
Madras High Court because under
‘Common Law’, strike is a breach of
law.
• In 1919, Mahatma Gandhi suggested
to let individual struggle be a Mass
movement through non-violence.
• In 1920, the First National Trade
union organization (The All India
Trade Union Congress (AITUC)) was
established.
• Many of the leaders of this
organization were leaders of the
national Movement.
• In 1926, Trade union law came up
with the efforts of Mr. N N Joshi that
became operative from 1927.
• The third phase: began with the
emergence of independent India (in 1947),
and the Government sought the
cooperation of the unions for planned
economic development.
• The working class movement was also
politicized along the lines of political
parties. For instance Indian national trade
Union Congress (INTUC) is the trade
union arm of the Congress Party.  
• The AITUC is the trade union arm of
the Communist Party of India.
• Besides workers, white-collar
employees, supervisors and
managers are also organized by the
trade unions, as for example in the
Banking, Insurance and Petroleum
industries.
 
 Emergence of Central
T.U.Organizations.
By the year 1944, four central trade union
organizations were functioning in the
country ;
• A.I.T.U.C.
• I.N.T.U.C.
• H.M.S.
• U.T.U.C.
 There are 12 Central
T.U.organizations to-day.
• A.I.T.U.C.
• B.M.Sangh
• Centre of Indian Trade Unions (C.I.T.U.)
• Hind Mazdoor Kishan
Panchayat(H.M.K.P.)
• H.M.S.
• Indian Federation of Free Trade Unions.
(I.F.F.T.U.)
• I.N.T.U.C.
• National Front of Indian Ttade Union.
(N.F.I.T.U.)
• National Labour Organization(N.L.O.)
• Trade unions co-ordination centre.(TUCC)
• United Trade Union Congress(U.T.U.C.)
• U.T.U.C.(Lenin Sarani)
 OBJECTIVES/FUNCTIONS OF T.U.s
• Wages and Salaries
• Working conditions
• Discipline
• Personnel policies
• Welfare measures
• Employer employee relations
• Negotiating machinery
• Safe-guarding organizational health
• Protect workers against victimization/injustice