A trade union is defined as a continuous association of wage-earners formed to maintain or improve working conditions through collective bargaining. There are several key characteristics of trade unions including registration with the registrar of trade unions, independence from employers, and affiliation with central trade union organizations. Trade unions serve both militant functions like negotiating wages and working conditions as well as fraternal functions like providing welfare benefits and education. They operate at both national and industry levels and can take various forms based on membership. Democratic participation and control by members is important for a trade union's effectiveness.

2. Dale yoder, ”A trade union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of
maintaining or improving the conditions of their working lives.”
The characteristics which define a trade :
(i) A statement that the organization is a trade union.
(ii) A statement of its principal objectives, clearly specifying the fact that the organization
so formed is for the betterment of its members, i.e., workers.
(iii) Registration with the Registrar of Trade Unions having jurisdiction on the area where
Trade Union functions.
(iv) Independence from the employer, which may be evident from the certificate issued by
the Registrar of Trade Unions.
(v) Affiliation with the central trade union organization.

3. General Features of Trade Unions
(1) The trade union is an association either of employers or employees or of independent
workers : Accordingly, in India such unions may consist of :
(I) Merchant’s or employers
(ii) The general labour unions;
(iii) The friendly societies; and
(iv) Combination of intellectual labour.
 In England, associations professional persons such as artists federations, musicians
union, etc.
 In China, associations of members of manual wage earners in enterprises , institutions,
schools and also working class engaged in irregular employments.
 In USA, these organizations are combinations of all persons in a given trade with the
purpose of demanding and security for each and all of them a definite minimum
standard of wages, hours and conditions of works.

4. (2) Labour unions are relatively permanent association of workers and are not temporary or
casual.
(3) A trade union is an association of workers who are engaged in security economic benefits
for its members.
(4) The character of trade union has been constantly changing.
(5) The origin and growth of trade unions have been influenced by a number of ideologies.
Functions of Trade Unions
(i) Militant or protection functions
(ii) Fraternal , ministrant or positive functions.
Militant Functions One set of activities performed by trade unions leads to the betterment of
the position of their members in relation to their employment.
• The aim of such activities is to ensure adequate wages, secure better conditions of work and
employment, get better treatment from employers, etc.
• When the unions fail to accomplish these aims by the method of collective bargaining and
negotiations, they adopt an approach and put up a fight with the management in the form
of go-slow tactics, strike, boycott, gherao, etc.
• Hence, these functions of the trade unions are known as militant or fighting functions. Thus,
the militant functions of trade unions can be summed up as:

5. • To achieve higher wages and better working conditions
• To raise the status of workers as a part of industry
• To protect labours against victimization and injustice
Fraternal Functions Another set of activities performed by trade unions aims at rendering
help to its members in times of need, and improving their efficiency.
• Trade unions try to foster a spirit of cooperation and promote friendly industrial relations
and diffuse education and culture among their members.
• They take up welfare measures for improving the morale of workers and generate self
confidence among them.
• They also arrange for legal assistance to its members, if necessary.
• Besides, these, they undertake many welfare measures for their members, e.g., school for
the education of children, library, reading-rooms, in-door and out-door games, and other
recreational facilities.
• Some trade unions even undertake publication of some magazine or journal.
• These activities, which may be called fraternal functions, depend on the availability of
funds, which the unions raise by subscription from members and donations from outsiders,
and also on their competent and enlightened leadership.
• Thus, the fraternal functions of trade unions can be summed up as:

6.  To take up welfare measures for improving the morale of workers
 To generate self confidence among workers
 To encourage sincerity and discipline among workers
 To provide opportunities for promotion and growth
 To protect women workers against discrimination
Functions of Trade Unions in India
(i) To achieve higher wages and better working and living conditions for the members.
(ii) To acquire control over running of the industry by workers.
(iii) To minimize the helplessness of the individual workers by making them stand-up
uniteldy and increasing their resistance power through collective bargaining; protecting
the members against victimization and injustice by employers.
(iv) To raise the status of the workers as partners in industry and citizens of society by
demanding an increasing share for them in the management of industrial enterprises.
(v) To generate self-confidence among the workers.
(vi) To encourage sincerity and discipline among workers.
(vii)To take up welfare measures for improving the morale of the workers.
The National Commission on Labour has underscored certain basic functions to which
trade unions have to pay greater attention such as,

7. (i) To secure fair wages for workers.
(ii) To safeguard the security of tenure and improve conditions of service.
(iii) To enlarge opportunities for promotion and training.
(iv) To improve working and living conditions.
(v) To provide for educational, cultural and recreational facilities.
(vi) To cooperate and facilitate technological advancement by broadening the
understanding of workers in the issues involved in their jobs.
(vii)To promote identity of interests of the workers with their industry.
(viii)To offer responsive cooperation in improving levels of production and productivity
discipline and high standards of quality.
(ix) To promote individual and collective welfare.
Besides these basic functions of trade unions, the commission enjoined the following
responsibilities upon the unions:
(i) Promotion of national integration.
(ii) Generally, influencing the socio-economic policies of the community through the active
participation in their formulation at various levels.
(iii) Instilling in their members a sense of responsibility to industry and the community.
The First Five-Year-Plan while spelling out the role of trade unions emphasized that
they should:
(a) Present plans to workers so as to create enthusiasm among them for the plans.

8. (b) Exercise the utmost restraint in regard to work stoppage.
(c) Formulate wage demands which are attuned to the requirements of economic
development and are in keeping with consideration of social justice.
(d) Assume greater responsibility for the success of the productive effort.
Types and Structure of trade Unions
(A) The Unions Classified According to Purpose
(1) Reformist unions: These unions are those which aim at the preservation of
competitive and the maintenance of the usual employer-employee relationship,
elimination of competitive system of production.
• Business unionism
• Uplift unionism
(2) Revolutionary Unions: These unions aim at destroying the present structure
completely and replacing it with new and different institutions according to the ideals
that are regarded as preferable.

9. Anarchist Union: such union aim at destroying the present economic system by resorting to
revolutionary measure.
Political union: seek to redistribute the wealth by giving effective share to the workers. The
get power basically through political actions only.
Predatory union: they seek their objectives without sticking to any approach.
Guerrilla Union: they believe in exploitation, violence and non cooperation. They are
generally non democratic. They don't believe in cooperation with their employees
(B) Union Classified on the Basis of Membership Structure
(I) Craft Unions
(ii) Staff Union
(iii) Industrial Unions
(iv) General Union

10.  Craft union :
• it covers all workers engage in a single occupation or craft irrespective of the industries
form an union.
• All craft union links together those workers who possess similar skills, craft training,
apprenticeship and specialization.
Example: all workers of textile industries.
 Industrial and staff union:
• Unions organized on the basis of an industry rather than craft is called industrial union.
• All workers skill, unskilled and semi-skilled working in a particular industry regardless of
the difference in crafts, skill position or gender form together an industrial union
E.g.. Textile labour association, engineering mazdoor sabha Mumbai.
 Staff union:
• it’s a combination of craft union and industrial relation is called staff union.
• Staff union is mostly formed by the workers of tertiary sectors like health, tour and travel
industry
General Union:
• It comprises workers of various industries and various skills
• Membership is open to all type/class of workers.
• Workers of different industries and different occupation formed general union.
E.g. Jamshedpur trade union

11. Structure of Trade Unions in India
(i) National Federations, and
(ii) The Federations of Unions
 The national Federation is the apex trade union that brings coordination in the activities
of different trade union.
 These are politically learned and the leadership to such federation areprovided by
politicians.
 They act as a coordinating agency for various trade union under theircontrol.
 Various union combines together to form federation of union for thepurpose of gaining
more solidarity and strength.
 Such federation can take collective action when needed.
 INTUC, AITUC, Hind mazdoor sabha,bharatiya mazdoorsabha, national labour
organization, all india Bank employee association, all india railway men association, all
india electricity employee association.

12. Three Characteristics Needed
(i) The Union must be internally strong so that it can effectively protect workers against
management militancy.
(ii) It must be internally responsible so that it can use economic power in a careful way.
(iii) It must be internally democratic so as to enable the workers to unite for the cause.
The basic criteria used for judging the democratic, nature of union are:
(a) Regular rank and file participation in policy-making at the meetings of the union.
(b) Direct and indirect control by the rank and file over vital decisions of the unions on
special occasions.
(c) Reliance on officials to run the union but with expressed monitoring of their actions,
(d) Leadership control that is responsive to membership demands as expressed formally
and informally
(e) Leadership control based on what the leadership presumes are the desires of the
member.