Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dr.Yogananthan Srinivasan
Trade Union
Section 2(h) of the Trade Unions Act, 1926 has
defined a trade union as
Any combination, whether temporary or
permanent, formed primarily for the purpose of
regulating the relations between workmen and
employers, or between workmen and workmen,
or 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.
Then this definition talks about three relationships. They are
relationship between the:
Workmen and workmen
Workmen and employers
Employers and employers.
PROCEDURE OF REGISTRATION OF
TRADE UNION
The trade union movement started after 1918, when the workers
formed their associations to improve their conditions. It is, thus, a
part of the labour movement, which is a much wide term
Trade Unionism in India has been the natural out come of the
modern factory system
The year 1918 was an important one for the Indian trade union movement.
The Second World War, which broke out in September 1939, created new
strains in the united trade union movement.
Hence, again a rift took place in 1941 and the Radicals left the AITUC with
nearly 200 unions with a membership of 3, 00,000 and formed a new central
federation known as the Indian Federation of Labour
As pointed out earlier, when attempts to restructure the AITUC failed, those
believing in the aims and ideals other than those of the AITUC separated from
the organization and established the Indian National Trade Union Congress
(INTUC) in May, 1947
FUNCTION OF TRADE
UNION
Fraternal Functions.
Sense
Sense
Sense
At
On
the other hand, those who are members of a union feel that they
gain respect in the eyes of their fellow workers. They can also discuss
their problem with the trade union leaders.
Plant level Unions: The first level in the structure from below is the
plant level union. This comprises the unions in one organisation or
factory. Please note that only seven members are required to form a
union. This has lead to multiple unions in one factory. (We will discuss
the details of this aspect in the problems faced by unions in India).
Outside Leadership. Trade unions in India are led largely by people who
themselves are not workers. These outsiders are politicians, intellectuals
and professionals having no experience of work in industry. Outsiders
continue
to dominate the trade unions to advance their personal interests.
As a result, the funds with the unions are inadequate and they cannot
undertake welfare programmes for their members.
Another reason for the weak financial position of union is that large
amounts of subscription dues remain unpaid by the workers. Besides
this, unions do not have proper staff and organisation to collect
subscriptions.
The
Development
Recognition
Origin:
The INTUC came into existence on 4th May, 1948, as a result of the resolution
passed on 17th November 1947, by the Central Board of the Hindustan
Mazdoor Sevak Sangh, which was a labour leader on the Gandhian Philosophy
of Sarvodaya
Objectives:
Origin:
It was established in 1920 as result of a resolution passed by the organized
workers of Bombay and the delegates which met I a conference on 31st
October, 1920.
Objectives:
to watch, promote, and further the interests, rights, and privileges of the
workers in all matters relating to their employment;
to secure and maintain for the workers the freedom of speech, freedom of
press, freedom of association freedom of assembly, the right to strike, and
the right to work and maintenance;
Origin:
Some trade union leaders of the socialist bent met together December 1948 to
form a new central organization of labour, called Hind Mazdoor Sabha
Objectives:
to organize and unite trade unions with the object of building up a National
Central Organisation of trade unions, independent of political parties,
employers and the government, to further the cause of labour and that of
national solidarity security and defence of India, and to make the working
people conscious of their right as well as of obligations in all spheres of life;
to help in every possible way member trade unions in their fight to raise
real wages of the workers;
Origin
This union was formed in 1970 when as a result of the rift in the AITUC, some
members of the Communist party seceded. About the objectives of the CITU,
its constitution says:
Objectives:
The CITU believes that the exploitation of the working class can be ended
only by socializing all means of production, distribution and exchange and
establishing a socialist state, that is, it stands for the complete
emancipation of the society from all exploitation.
The CITU fights against all encroachments on the economic and social
rights of the workers and the enlargement of their rights and liberties
including the right to strike, for winning, defending and extending the
freedom of the democratic trade union movement.
In the fight for the immediate interest of the working class the CITU
demands: (a) nationalization of all foreign monopoly concerns who
barbarously exploit the working class; (b) nationalization of all concerns
owned by Indian monopolists and big industry who garner huge profits at
the expenses of the workers, who exploit the people by pegging prices at a
CONCLUSION
Thank You