NATIONAL LEVEL TRADE UNIONS AND THEIR PHILOSOPHIES

VINEET KUMARMMS-B, HR

ROLL NO. 79

DEFINITION OF TRADE UNIONSection 2(h) of Trade Unions Act,1926 defines 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 federations of two or more trade unions’.Today, there are over a dozen ‘national centres’ of trade unions in the country with five of them having a membership of over 5,00,000 in at least 4 states and 4 industries/sectors, which is the criterion laid down by the Indian Labour Conference in 1982 for a representative workers’ body at the national level.Though the official number of registered unions is around 50,000 the actual number may well exceed 100,000 unions..

HISTORY OF INTUC

Trade Union wing of the Indian National Congress.Affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation..INTUC is widely accepted as a trade union that works with the management and is not a typical confrontational organization.INTUC was founded on 3 May 1947-just 3 months before India attained independence.The founding conference of INTUC which was presided over by Sardar Vallabhai Patel.Since inception, INTUC has been maintaining very close relationship with AICC.G. Sanjeeva Reddy is the present president of the union.

INTUC1.(a) To foster the spirit of solidarity, service, brotherhood, cooperation and mutual help among the workers.(b) To develop in the workers a sense of responsibility towards industry and the community.(c) To raise the workers’ standard of efficiency and discipline.

2.(a) To establish just industrial relations.(b) To secure redressal of grievances, without stoppages of work, by means of negotiations, and failing these, arbitration or adjudication.(c) To make necessary arrangements for the efficient conduct and satisfactory and speedy conclusion of authorized strikes or satyagraha.

3.(a) To secure speedy improvement of conditions of work and life of the status of the workers in industry and society.(b) To obtain for the workers various measures of social security, including adequate provisions in respect of accidents, maternity, sickness, old-age and unemployment.(c) To secure a living wage for every worker in normal employment and to bring about a progressive improvement in the worker’s standard of living.

4.(a) To secure an effective and complete organization of all categories of workers; including agricultural workers.(b) To guide and coordinate the activities of the affiliated organizations.(c) To assist in the formation of trade unions.(d) To promote the organization of workers of each industry on a nation-wide basis.(e) To assist in the formation of regional or state branches or federations.

HISTORY OF HIND MAZDOOR SABHA

The HMS was founded in Howrah on December 24, 1948 by socialists, Forward Bloc followers and independent unionists.Was formed by the merger of Hind Mazdoor Panchayat and Indian Federation of Labour.In March 1949, HMS claimed to have 380 affiliated unions with a combined membership of 6,18,802.It is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.Sharad Rao is the present president of HMS.

HIND MAZDOOR SABHA1.To promote the economical, social, political, cultural interests of the Indian working people.2.To guide and co-ordinate the activities of affiliated organizations and assist them in their work.3.To safeguard and promote the interests and rights of workers in all matters relating to their employment.4.To organize for promote the establishment of democratic socialist society in India.5.To co-operate and affiliate with other organizations within the country and outside having similar aims and objectives.6.To secure and defend all democratic and civil rights of workers including:Freedom of associationFreedom of assemblyFreedom of statementRight to social securityRight to strike

HISTORY OF AITUC

Oldest trade union federations in India and one of the five largest.It was founded on 31 October 1920 in Bombay by N.M Joshi, Lala Lajpat Rai and a few others.It has been associated with the Communist Party of India.AITUC is governed by a body headed by National President Ramendra Kumar and General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, both the politician affiliated with Communist Party of India.AITUC is a founder member of the World Federation of Trade Unions.

ALL INDIA TRADE UNION CONGRESS

1.To establish a socialist state in India.2.To socialize and nationalize the means of production, distribution and exchange as far as possible.3.To ameliorate the economic and social conditions of the working class.4.To watch, promote, safeguard and further the interests, rights and privileges of the workers in all matters relating to their employment.5.To co-ordinate the activities of the trade unions affiliated to AITUC.6.To fight against all forms of atrocities against women and harassment at place of work.7..To secure and maintain for the workers:

The freedom of speech The freedom of press The freedom of association The freedom of assembly The right of strike The right to work or maintenance

HISTORY OF BHARATIYA MAZDOOR SANGH

The largest central trade union organization in India.Founded by Dattopantji Thengdi on July 23, 1955.BMS itself claims to have more than 10 million members. At present it is estimated around 5860 unions are affiliated to the BMS.BMS is not affiliated to any International Trade Union Confederation.C. K. Saji Narayanan is the current president of the organization.. Baij Nath Rai is General Secretary.

BHARATIYA MAZDOOR SANGH1.To inculcate in the minds of the workers, the spirit of service. Co-operation and devotion to duty and develop in them a sense of responsibility towards the nation in general and industry in particular.2.To inculcate in the minds of the workers the spirit of nationalism, to encourage the spirit of treating the entire society as a single family avoiding the concept of a class struggle.3.To encourage and promote the spirit of Swadeshi and environment protection, public safety in common and workers’ safety at industry level in particular.4.To inculcate in the minds of the workers, the spirit of service, co-operation and devotion to duty and develop in them a sense of responsibility towards the nation in general and nation in particular.5.To establish and organize labour research centres at appropriate places and encourage dissemination of their findings and other similar activities for the benefit of trade unions, workers, researchers, sociologists, government and other socio-economic organizations.

6.To establish ultimately Bharatiya order of society in which there shall be secured among other things:Complete utilization of manpower and resources leading to full employment and maximum production.Replacement of profit motive by service and establishment of economic democracy resulting in equitable distribution of wealth to the best advantage of all individual citizens and of the nation as a whole.Promoting of autonomous industrial communities forming part and parcel of the nation, culminating in ‘labourization of industry’.

HISTORY OF CITU

National level Trade Union in India politically attached to the Communist Party of India(Marxist).CITU is one of biggest assembly of workers and classes of India.Strong unchallengeable presence in the Indian state of Tripura besides a good presence in West Bengal and Kerela.The CITU Conference takes place once in three years.Tapan Sen is the General Secretary of CITU and A. K. Padmanabhan is the President.

CENTRE OF INDIAN TRADE UNIONS(CITU)

(A) 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. The CITU stands for the complete emancipation of the society from all exploitation.(B) The CITU fights:against all encroachments on the economic and social rights of the workers and for enlargement of their rights and liberties including the right to strike, for winning, defending and extending the freedom of democratic and trade union movements.for the recognition trade unions on the basis of secret ballot.for the progressive improvement of wages, for reduction of working hours, for provision of decent housing and improvement of the living conditions of the workers.for security of full employment, right to work and against the hazards of unemployment.For equal wages for equal work.for the protection of the democratic rights of the minorities.