Trade Unionism, Trade Union, Trade Union in India, Trade Union Act 1926, Trade Union History, Trade Union Movements in India, Trade Union Definition, Trade Union Objectives, Trade Union Characteristics, Trade Union Functions, Problems of Trade Union, Concept and Meaning of Trade Union, Labour's social security, Indian Labour Problems and Legislation

1. PRESENTED BY
POOJA SHARMA
MSW 3rd SEM OF ISS
ROLL No-19
PRESENTED TO
Dr. RANVIR SINGH
(ASSOSIATE PROFESSOR)
Dr. B.R.AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY AGRA
Department of Social Work,
Institute of Social Science, Paliwal Park, Agra
SWM – 305(A) INDIAN LABOUR PROBLEMS AND
LEGISLATIONS - Trade Unionism

2. CONTENT
 Concept & Meaning
 Definitions
 Characteristics
 Objectives
 Functions
 Movements in India
 Problems in Trade Union in India
 Conclusion
 Reference

3. CONCEPT & MEANING
Trade Unions are associations workers or organisation formed together by labour,
workers or employees to achieve their demands for better conditions at their wok
atmosphere. These unions exist to deal with problems faced by laborers, these
problems may be any nature such as those concerning the pay, unfair work rules,
timings and so on.
A Trade Union is an organisation of workers that is formed with a view protecting and
promoting the interests of workers.

4. DEFINITIONS
− A trade union is an association of employees designed primarily to maintain or
improve the conditions of employment of its members.
− Lester
− A trade union is a continuous association of wage-earners for purpose of
maintaining or improving the conditions of their working force.
− Beatric Webb
− Trade union is such an organization which is created voluntarily on the basis of
collective strength to secure the interest of workers.
− V. V. Giri

5. DEFINITIONS
− A trade union is a combination with the main objective of regulating the relation
between workmen and masters for imposing of restrictive conditions on the
conduct of any trade or business and also provision to members.
− British trade union act
− A trade union is any combination, whether temporary or permanent, formed
primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workmen and the
employers, or between workmen or workwomen, between employers or for
imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business, and
includes any federation of two or more trade union
− Indian Trade Union Act, 1926

6. CHARACTERISTICS
 The trade union is an association either of employers or employees or of
independent workers.
 A trade union is a continuing or permanent rather than a temporary or casual
combination.
 Membership of a trade union is voluntary. Generally, there is no legal or other
pressure to join a trade union and a person can join or leave the union on his free
will.
 A trade union also perform political and ancillary functions.
 Members of trade union have common interests and problems, which motivates
them to unite. A seek to regulate relations between employers and workers.

7. CHARACTERISTICS
 Trade union always acts through united action of members to protect and promote
their economic and other interests.
 A trade union is a sub-system of the social system.
Therefore, its character undergoes change with change in economic, social, legal and
political conditions in the country. A union functions collectively to protect and
promote the interests of its members within a given socio-economic system together
in a body.

8. OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of trade unions are as follows:
 To secure for workers fairer wages in the light of cost of living and the prevailing
standards of living.
 To demand the management to provide all the basic facilities such as lighting and
ventilation, sanitation, rest rooms, safety equipment’s while discharging
hazardous duties, drinking water, refreshment, minimum working hours, leave and
rest, holidays with pay, job satisfaction, social security benefits and other welfare
measures.
 To win recognition for workers that they are equal partners with management in
the task of production.
 To assure the workers a share in the increased profitability of industry through
payment of adequate bonus.

9. OBJECTIVES
 To ensure security of employment by resisting retrenchment.
 To protect workers against exploitation and victimization by the capitalists.
 To secure for workers a say in management and industry democracy thereby
bringing about a new social order.
 To protect the larger interest of the society by assisting in the improvement of
trade and industry.
 To offer responsive co-operation in improving levels of productions, productivity,
discipline and quality.
 To enlarge opportunities for promotion and training.

10. FUNCTIONS
Trade unions perform several functions to achieve their objectives. The main functions
of trade are as follows:
 Trade unions safeguard workers against all sorts of exploitation by the employer
and political parties. A union provides protection from unfair labor practices and
atrocities of management. It also tries to revise the status of workers in industry
and society.
 Unions attempt to secure for workers fair wages, proper working conditions and
welfare facilities like health, housing, reaction and social security so as to ensure
desirable living standards for them.
 Collective bargaining with management to settle terms and conditions of
employment.

11. FUNCTIONS
 Advice the management on personal policies and practices.
 Taking up the individual and collective grievances of the workers with
management.
 Trade union work for achieving a better say of workers in the management of
matters which directly influence the interests of workers.
 Unions organize demonstrations, strikes and other forms of protest to press the
demands of workers. During strike the union may provide financial land other help
to members when the employers stop wages.

12. FUNCTIONS
 Make arrangements for the education of workers and their family members.
 Some unions provide recreation, sports and other welfare facilities for their
members.
 Trade union represents workers in various national and international forums such
as Indian labor conference and international labor organization (ILO) .
 Secure legislative protection for the workers from the government.
 A trade union serves as a link between employers and workers so as to develop
mutual understanding and cooperation between the two sides

13. TRADE UNION MOVEMENTS
IN INDIA
The growth and development of the labor movement, and for that part of the trade
unions, in India, can be divided into following periods, each of them revealing different
tendencies that mark it from others.
1. Social welfare period, from 1875 to 1918
The first period starts from 1875 and goes up to the end of the First World War. The
development of industries led to large scale production on the hand and social evils
like exploitation of women and child labor and deplorable working conditions, the
government’s attitude of complete indifference in respect of protection of labor from
such evils. The worst features of industrialism marked the history of early factory
system in India.

14. TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
IN INDIA
There was no attempt at collective bargaining or at obtaining redress through
concerted action. Humanitarians, Sarobjee Shapurji Bengali (1875) and N.M Lokhanday
(1884), who themselves were factory workers, drew attention of the government
towards the worst condition of the laborers and demanded an early legislation to
protect their interests. It was during this period Indian Factories Act was passed in
1881. These acts introduced some improvements in regard to shorter hours, and
conditions of worker for children and women labor. These entire periods has been
termed as the period of temporary organizations and a period of labor movement
rather than that of the trade union. In certain respects, conditions of labor in India
factories were worse than in the early factories in England.

15. TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
IN INDIA
2. Early Trade Union Period (1918-1924)
The year 1918 was an important one for the Indian Trade Unions Movements. It
marked the start of a new era, an era of growth and one in which the leadership of the
trade unions was to pass from the hands of the social workers into the hands of
politicians, doctors and advocates. The following contributed to the trade union
movement
a) The industrial unrest grew up as a result of economic difficulties created by war
(world war-1)
b) The Swaraj movement intensified the movement and brought mass awakening
among the workers demanding racial equality with their British employers.
c) The success of the Russian Revolution of 1917 created revolutionary wave of ideas
and a new self-respect and added the feeling of class-consciousness among
laborers.

16. TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
IN INDIA
d) The establishment of the International Labor Organization (ILO) 1919 aims at
promoting social and economic progress and improving labor conditions. It gave
dignity to the working class.
3. Left- Wing Unionism Period (1924-1935)
The third phase of the Indian labor movement which may be called the period of left
wing trade unionism started in 1924 and lasted up to the year 1935. During this period
there was domination of communism in India. In 1924, violent and long drawn strikes
led to the arrest, prosecution, imprisonment of many communist leaders. In 1926, the
Indian labor Union Act was passed. The AITUC was divided and new organization i.e.
Indian Trade Federation came into existence. During 1931 at Delhi National Federation
of Labor was established and including the Indian Trade union Federation, was given a
new name i.e. National Trade Union Federation.

17. TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
IN INDIA
4. Trade union’s unity period (1936-38)
This is the period of unity of labor movement and evolution of rapid revolutionary
procedures. Labor unions increased from 101 in 1935 to 169 and more strikes occurred
during this period.
5. Second World War period ( 1939-1947)
Trade unions became very strong during this period. War time price rise led to
awakening among workers. The development of collective bargaining capacity and
arbitration policy led to the growth of unions at rapid pace and their number of
member grew. The government and employers were cooperative with the union. Even
then, trade unions had less unity. There were differences of opinion. During this period
the Industrial Relations Act, 1946 was passed and Industrial Disputes Bill was
proposed.

18. TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
IN INDIA
6. Present Scenario of Trade Union Movement
The Indian trade unions have come to stay now not as ad hoc bodies or strikes
committees but as permanent features of the industrial society. The political,
economic, historical and international factors have all helped the unions to get legal
status and they now represent the workers. The union have achieved a remarkable
status where their voices are heard by the government and the employers. The unions
have created for them a platform to air their views, policies and ideologies both at
state level and national level.

19. THE CENTRAL TRADE UNIONS
The largest federation in the country represent labor at the national level and are
known as Central Trade Union. The following is a list of national level central trade
union as recognized by the ministry of labor.
1. ALL INDIA CENTRAL COUNCIL OF TRADE UNIONS (AICCTU-); politically attached to
communist party of India (Marxist-leninist) liberation.
2. ALL INDIA TRADE UNION CONGRESS (AITUC-1920); oldest trade union federation
in India.
3. ALL INDIA UNITED TRADE UNION CENTER (AIUTUC-1958)
4. BHARATIYA MAZDOOR SANGH (BMS-1955)
5. CENTRE OF INDIAN TRADE UNION (CITU-1971)

20. THE CENTRAL TRADE UNIONS
6. HIND MAZDOOR SABHA (HMS-1948)
7. INDIAN NATIONAL TRADE UNION CONGRESS (INTUC-1947)
8. LABOUR PROGRESSIVE FEDERATION (LPF)
9. NATIONAL FRONT OF INDIAN TRADE UNIONS (NFITU-1969)
10. SELF EMPLOYED WOMENS ASSOCAITION (SEWA-1972)
11. TRADE UNION COORDINATION CENTER (TUCC)
12. UNITED TRADE UNION CONGRESS (UTUC)

21. PROBLEMS OF TRADE UNION
IN INDIA
 Finance is the most important resource to carryout different not only industries but
also of unions. Finances of many trade unions are quite poor. The average income
of the trade union has been low not because of the poverty of workers but because
of others factors. Fundamental cause of poor financial state of trade unions is the
small size of the union and subscription are not collected promptly or paid by
members only when they have problem.
 One of the biggest problems which the country trade union movement faces is the
influence of political parties. Most popular trade unions in India are affiliated to
certain political parties. These political parties are only keen on making every
grievance of the working class a political issue to attain political gains. As a result
problem only gets wide publicity and remain unsolved.

22. PROBLEMS OF TRADE UNION
IN INDIA
 The multiplicity of unions emerging form political affiliation and led by external
political leaders brought to fore the politics of many and the dynamics associated
with it. Unions became competitive and the survival of the fittest led to inter-union
conflicts and mutual accusations being traded freely.
 Indian trade unionism has also demonstrated the intra-union rivalry coming to the
forefront and hampering production and industrial relations.

23. CONCLUSION
They are to strive not only for the needs of workers and improvement in the
conditions of their service but also for the greater welfare of the nation in the belief
that what is good for nation is good for labor also. Trade unions still tend to play an
important role in protecting workers and helping them enforce their legal rights,
particularly in cases when these rights may be uncertain or under debate.
Unions will also be able to support employees when they feel that the
psychological contract between workers and managers is being breached, and
can help workers to renegotiate this contract if necessary.
Unfortunately, a post structuralist view of the trade unions indicates that the
unions tend to be more responsive to their own social contract with the workers,
than to the actual needs and demands of the workplace itself. This can lead to
unions behaving in overly militant ways, particularly when they feel their own
power and relevance is being threatened.

24. REFERENCES
 https://www.hilarispublisher.com/open-access/the-21st-century-trade-union-
challenges-inindia-2168-9601.1000104.pdf
 https://www.ukessays.com/essays/commerce/understanding-the-objectives-of-
tradeunions-commerce-essay.php
 Trade Unions in Asia: An economic and sociological analysis
 www.slideshare.net/soumyasahoo1/tradeunionism
 www.slideshare.net/chandanrajbiotech/trade-unions-10493012
 www.Britannica.com/topic/trade-union
 www.slideshare.net/murali1987/trade-unions-28982784
 www.google.com/amo/s/imp.center/i/amp/trade-unions-india-origin-growth-
causes-initiatives-4281