Trade Union(2)

8/8/2019 Trade Union(2)

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TRADE UNION

Trade Union means a combination formed

for the purpose of regulating the relationsnot only between workmen and employersbut also between workmen and workmen

or between employers and employers

- Trade Union Act 1926


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WH AT IS TRADE UNION

A trade union is an organised group of workers.Its main goal is to protect and advance theinterests of its members

A union often negotiates agreements withemployers on pay and conditions. It may alsoprovide legal and financial advice, sicknessbenefits and education facilities to its members

Trade unions aim to represent the interests of people at work and negotiate with employers for better terms and conditions for their members


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F eatures of trade unions :

It is an organisation formed by employeesor workers.

It is formed on a continuous basis. It is a

permanent body and not a casual or temporary one.

It is formed to protect and promote all

kinds of interests economic, political andsocial-of its members.


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The dominant interest with which a unionis concerned is, however, economic.

It includes federations of trade unionsalso.

It achieves its objectives throughcollective action and group effort


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The main features of the process of industrialisation that necessitated the origin of trade unions are:

(i) separation between capital and labour;

(ii) philosophy of lassez-faire i.e., least/non-interference of the state in the affairs of labour and management;

(iii) lack of bargaining power on the part of workers(which forced the workers (as individuals) toeither accept the jobs with wage rates, hours of work etc. unilaterally determined by theemployers, or to remain unemployed); and


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(iv) the realisation by the working class thatwhile the individual worker wasdispensable to the employer, workerscollectively were indispensable to him, andas such, he could not dispense with all hisworkers and replace them. It is thisrealisation that sowed the seeds of

collective bargaining which later resultedin trade unionism.


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On March 25, 1875, the Government of Bombay appointed the first BombayFactories Commission to investigatefactory conditions. The members of theCommission failed to see any necessityof legislation. But due to the agitationstarted by the social reformers led bySorabji Bengalle and other reasons thefirst Indian Factory Act was passed in1881.

H ISTORY OF TRADE UNION


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The first trade union was started in 1877 in EmpressMill, Nagpur.

It was this labour protest on an organized scale,

through the support of some philanthropicpersonalities, that organized labour unions came intoexistence.

The Madras Labour Union, the first trade union inIndia to be formed on systematic lines, wasestablished on April 27, 1918, by B.P. W adia.


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In 1921 an effort was made by N.M. Joshi tointroduce in Indian legislature a trade unionlegislation. H owever, his effort succeededafter five years in 1926 when the Trade

Unions Act was enacted legalising the rightof workers to combine and form unions, andgranting them immunity from civil and

criminal prosecution for bonafide tradeunion activities and the action flowing fromthe same.


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The economic distress that followed the war,the new spirit of awakening, the change inthe outlook towards the unions both on thepart of the Government and employers, and

the enactment of the Industrial disputes Act,1947 (which enabled the unions to representworkers for settlement of their disputes under the Act) contributed to the growth of tradeunion movement in the country after the war.


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In 1941 the Radicals left the AITUC with nearly200 unions with a membership of 3, 00,000 andformed a new central federation known as theIndian Federation of Labour.

Th e Post-Independence Period (From 1947 to-

date) As pointed out earlier, when attempts to

restructure the AITUC failed, those believing inthe aims and ideals other than those of the

AITUC separated from the organization andestablished the Indian National Trade UnionCongress (INTUC) in May, 1947


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FUNCTION OF TRADE UNIONTo secure for workers better wages

To safeguard security of tenure and improve conditions of

service

To increase opportunities for promotion and training

To improve working and living condition

To provide for educational cultural and recreational facilities

To promote identity of interests of the workers

To offer improved level of production and productivity

discipline and high standard of quality

To promote individual and collective welfare


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Names and details of someUnions in India


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The Indian National Trade Union Congress

O rigin:

The INTUC came into existence on 4th May, 1948, as a result of the resolution passedon 17th November 1947, by the Central Board of the H industan Mazdoor SevakSangh, which was a labour leader on the Gandhian Philosophy of Sarvodaya

O bjectives:

To establish an order of society which is free from hindrances to an all-rounddevelopment of its individual members, which fosters the growth of humanpersonality in all its aspects, and which goes to the utmost limit in progressivelyeliminating social, political or economic exploitation and inequality, the profit motive

in the economic activity and organization of society and the anti-social concentrationof power in any form;

to place industry under national ownership and control in a suitable form;

to secure increasing association of workers in the administration of industry and their full participation in that control;


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A ll-India Trade Union Congress ( A ITUC)

O rigin: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.

O bjectives:

to establish a socialist state in India;

to socialize and nationalize means of production, distribution and exchange;

to improve the economic and social conditions of the working class;

to watch, promote, and further the interests, rights, and privileges of the workers inall 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 workand maintenance;

to co-ordinate the activities of the labour unions affiliated to the AITUC;

to abolish political or economic advantage based on caste, creed, community, raceor religion;

to secure and maintain for the workers the right to strike


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United Trade Union Congress (UTUC)

O rigin :

Some trade union leaders of the socialist bent met together December 1948 to form anew central organization of labour, called H ind Mazdoor Sabha

O bjectives:

The objectives of the UTUC are:

to establish a socialist society in India;

to establish a workers and peasants state in India;

to nationalize and socialize the means of production, distribution and exchange;

to safeguard and promote the interests, rights, and privileges to the workers in allmatters, social, cultural, economic and political;

to secure and maintain workers freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, right to strike, right to work or maintenance andthe right to social security;

to bring about unity in the trade union movement.


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B hartiya Mazdoor Sangh ( B MS)

O rigin:

This union has been the outcome of decision taken by the Jana Sangh in its Conventionat Bhopal on 23rd July, 1954.

O bjectives:to establish the Bhartiya order of classless society in which there shall be securedfull employment;

to assist workers in organizing themselves in trade unions as medium of service tothe motherland irrespective of faiths and political affinities;

the right to strike;

to inculcate in the minds of the workers the spirit of service, co-operation anddutifulness and develop in them a sense of responsibility towards the nation ingeneral and the industry in particular.

The BMS is a productivity-oriented non-political trade union. Its ideological basis isthe triple formula:

nationalize the labour;

labourise the industry;

industrialize the nation;


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Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU)

O riginThis 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 constitutionsays:

O bjectives:

The CITU believes that the exploitation of the working class can be ended only bysocializing all means of production, distribution and exchange and establishing asocialist state, that is, it stands for the complete emancipation of the society from allexploitation.

The CITU fights against all encroachments on the economic and social rights of theworkers and the enlargement of their rights and liberties including the right to strike,for winning, defending and extending the freedom of the democratic trade unionmovement.

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 workingclass; (b) nationalization of all concerns owned by Indian monopolists and bigindustry who garner huge profits at the expenses of the workers, who exploit thepeople by pegging prices at a high level and who dictate the anti-labour and anti-people policies of the government.

The CITU fights against the repressive policy of the government towards the

democratic and trade union movement;


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R evolutionary theory

Propounded by Marx and H egels

According to it instruments of production

must belong to workers. TU are preparations for a revolution in

which capitalists must be destroyed.

W

orkers must take over industry andgovernment.

But events in USSR could not lend supportto the theory


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(Class conflict and communist manifesto)

According to Marx trade union perform anecessary and useful task in protecting wagesand improper working condition. They should notlimit themselves to these goals. Rather theyshould use their power to emancipate theworking class by putting an end to the capitalistsystem.

Mark believed that the labour movementwas pure and simple trade union, with workers

remaining subordinate to the owners of theindustry. H e emphasized a role for intellectual,to imbue and inspire in workers a class andpolitical consciousness, outside the economicstraggle, and outside the sphere of relationbetween workers and employers.


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The so called intellectual have however failed inproviding the kind of leadership expected of them not only in economic, but also in thepolitical share. In India the trade unionleadership was largely from among theindividual and elite group of the society.


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I ndustrial Democracy

Put forth by Sidney and Beatrice W ebb.

It suggests democracy in industry as in

government.

It suggests that through Unions, the workers

protect themselves from the power and

influence of owners.

All rules and regulations are developed in order

to protect the rights of the Labour.


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The Socialist Pattern of Society

The W ebbs viewed the role of trade unions asmove than first winning economic benefits of the

members. They saw a role for unions tosocialism through political action. The W ebbstoo, like Marx observed that the market pressureon workers to organize into unions to protect

their economic interests.


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The condition of employment wasdetermined by the chain of bargains thatlinked the manual worker, the capitalistemployer, the wholesale trade, theshopkeeper and the customer. Like Marx

the W ebbs too were opposed to thecapitalist system.

W ebbs played an instrumental role asintellectuals leader of the labour party inBritain, drafting the socialist manifesto for

converting capitalist Britain into a mixed


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RO BE R T HOX IE:-Unions under the American

capitalist system-Robert H oxie is among the earliest to haveargued that unions evolve differently

across social.H e considers Americans unions less

dogmatic and more pragmatic and

opportunist.


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H e identified five functional types of principalunions:

a. Business Unionism

b. Friendly or uplift Unionismc. Revolutionary Unionism

d. Predatory Unionism

e. Dependent Unionism


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Business Unionism: Its major aims areto improve wages, shorter hours of work and working conditions.

It adopts method of collective bargaining,favours voluntary arbitration,depreciates strikes and avoid politicalactions, but when they serve itsinterest they may resort strike or political action.


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Friendly or uplift Unionism:

Idealistic in nature and aspires to elevatethe moral intellectual and social life of the workers.

Relies on the weapon of political action,mutual insurance plan and cooperativeentreprises.


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Revolutionary Unionism:

Aima at overthrow of capitalistic system.Strongly inclined towords political action,strikes, boy-cutts, subotage andviolence.


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Predatory Unionism:This kind of union has no particular

ideology and can adpot any methodwhich may deliver the goods and itsticks at nothing.


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Dependent Unionism:Relies upon the support of the employersor other labour groups.

Dependence appears in two forms:1. Company Unionism: Entirely dependent

on employers.


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2. Union Lables Unionism: The union labelbeing imprinted on the products madeby the union members. The union labelis supposed to encourage greater salesand thus make it necessary for

employers to hire union members.


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MA HA T MA GAND HI:The concept of trusteeship-

Trusteeship is stewardship of onespossessions to increase wealth using onestalent and deploying the surplus wealth in publiccauses.

Thus it presumes social responsibility and treatyresources as if they are held in commonownership and meant to be used for commonbenefit.


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The concept of trusteeship presupposes premisesof incentives for the creation and development of enterprises while eliminating the defect of capitalism.

Gandhis concept of trusteeship is not based onclass conflict or on the ideology thatnationalization of resumes to provide equity. H eemphasized voluntarism.


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B usiness Theory Put forth by Samuel Gompers

Emphasised that the primary objective of the unions wasto protect the economic interest of the workers.

Gompers viewed unions as the labor's collective voice in

the industrial world. H e wanted to partner with business to

promote higher wages (and higher profits).

Gompers viewed unions as the labor component of abusiness operation, neither superior nor inferior to the

management component, but just as essential.

This theory opposes the revolutionary theory.


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CONCLUSIONTrade Union is an important factor of thecurrent society, as it safeguards the basicinterest and needs of both the employeesas well as employers, by giving better terms and conditions of employment,

secured jobs, better wages, favorableworking environment which in turn leadsto desired profitability.

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Trade Union(2)