TRADE UNION The trade union movement started in India due to the state intervention for the demand

of improved working conditions. The economic reforms package based on privatizatio n, liberalization and austerity measures can be viewed as providing some kind of favourable environment for the trade unions in the public sector to engage in greater industrial disputes, but hat is being observed is that there is increasing dissension or fragmentation within the trade union movement itself. Though, Trade Union movement emerged due to the need of improved working conditions of the working class in India, there has also been a decline in trade union activities over the years. Aim of the Trade Union Movement The Trade Union is a continuous demand of the wage earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the working conditions. Political motivations and the ideologies influenced the Indian trade`s union movement and were in turn influenced by its increased strength. The twin aspects of the Indian Trade Union Movement, labours organization for industrial bargaining and its ideological orientation were analyzed with the political colour. The aspects of the Trade Unions were scanned in the wider background of the nationalists struggle against Imperialism. The present study is an attempt at understanding the theories of the trade union movement, of the organized sector in the Public Sector Units (PSU), against privatization in India. The iss ues of framing and bargaining in the collective behaviour literature have been incorporated into the study. The historical-comparative approach has been used in terms of historically analyzing the starting of trade unions in India and comparing the activities of trade unions across different states in India, more so because the State governments as well as the trade unions have different political affiliations. There is simultaneous dissension or fragmentation within the trade union movement itself.

Background of the Trade Union Movement The first ever demand for the regulations of the workings conditions of the workers in the Indians factories came from the Lancashire textile capitalist lobby. They thought that the emergence of a competitive rival in

the Indian textile industry under favourable conditions would deteriorate their position. Hence they demanded the appointment of a commission for an investigation into the factory condition and also to the working condition of the labours. The first commission was appointed in the year 1875, although the First Factory Act was not passed before1881. The Act prohibited the employment of the children under the age of 7. The Act also limited the working hours of the children below the age of 12 years. Similar circumstances resulted in the enactment of the factory acts for the jute industry in 1909 and 1911. This gave impetus to the trade union movement in British India got an impetus when Bombay Mill Hands Association was formed for the first time in India on 24 April 1890. The establishment of ILO in 1919 provided a source of inspiration for the workers to become politically conscious. India`s membership of the same exerted great influence in the formation of a central organization of workers called `All India Trade Union Congress` (AITUC) in 1920 for the purpose of conducting and coordinating the activities of the labour organizations. The period from 1924 to 1935 can be considered as the era of revolutionary trade union movement. MN Roy, Muzaffer Ahmed, S. A Dange and Shawkat Osmani led the trade union movements and as a result the political consciousness among industrial workers increased. The First World War and its consequences brought a period of soaring prices, unprecedented exploitation for the industr ialists but miserably low wages for the workers. The emergence of Mahatma Gandhi led to the growth of non-violent trend of nationalist struggle. Also the non - violent trend of movement could not mobilize the workers and the peasants for the national cause the worker class throughout the world awaked to organize a Proletarian Revolution. The setting up of a League of Nation`s Agency (ILO) gave an international colour to the labour problem. All India Trade Union Congress The nationalist leaders took the initiative of forming the Trade union as a national body. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) came into existence on 31st October 1920.Lala Lajpat Rai was elected as the President of the AITUC. The national leaders were closely associated with the Trade union congress. The celebrated nationalist leaders like C.R. Dass, V.V. Giri and later on Sarojini Naidu, Jawaharlal Nehru etc presided over the annual sessions of the All India Trade union Congress (AITUC). By 1927, the number of trade union Congress affiliated to the

AITUC increased to 57. During 1926-27the AITUC was divided into two groups called the reforming and the revolutionary groups. The Communist thinking seemed to carry greater influence in the formation and the working of the AITUC. The strikes became the principal weapon of the trade Unionists. They published their own journal Kranti, which became the instrument to propagate the ideals and principle of the Trade union. The motto of the Kranti was to overthrow capitalism. The Trade unionists strongly believed that until the capitalists were completely overthrown the proletariat would be deprived from the privileges. The strikes called by the Trade unionists were inspired more by the political ideas rather than the immediate economic demands. The AITUC later was affiliated to the Pan Pacific secretariat and to the Third International at Moscow. To protest the Communist supremacy in the International level, the moderates under the leadership of Joshi withdrew from AITUC and formed the All India Trade Union Federation. CITU-Centre 0f Indian Trade Union CITU or Centre of Indian Trade Union is a National level Trade Union in India politically attached to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Centre of Indian Trade Union is today one of biggest assembly of workers and classes of India. It has strong unquestionable presence in the Indian states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura besides a good presence in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It has presence in almost all of the Indian states. Alarmed at the increasing strength of the Trades Union Movement under the control of the Extremists, the government of India considered it as a threat to their suzerainty in India. Hence it decided to put restrictions by issuing several legislative actions. A Public Safety B ill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly in the year 1928 but it did not get the majority support. Later under the circumstantial pressure the Bill had to be issued in the form of the Ordinance in 1929. The Trade Disputes Act in 1929, provided for compulsory appointment of the Courts of Enquiry and Conciliation Boards for settling industrial Disputes. It also announced that the strikes were illegal in public utility and services (like the Postal services, Railways, Water and the Electric Departments). The Act also provided that each individual worker planning participates in the strike should give an advance notice of one month to the administration and above all the Act announced that the Trade union should forbid political

activities. However the Trade Union Movement in India witnessed a rapid success. Trade unions in India The Indian workforce consists of 430 million workers, growing 2% annually. The Indian labor markets consist of three sectors: 1. The rural workers, who constitute about 60 per cent of the workforce. Organized sector, which employs 8 per cent of workforce, and The urban informal sector (which includes the growing software industry and other services, not included in the formal sector) which constitutes the rest 32 per cent of the workforce.

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At present there are twelve Central Trade Union Organizations in India: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP) Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) Indian Federation of Free Trade Unions (IFFTU) Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU) National Labor Organization (NLO) Trade Unions Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) United Trade Union Congress (UTUC) and United Trade Union Congress - Lenin Sarani (UTUC LS)

Objectives Of Trade Union Trade unions are formed to protect and promote the interests of their members. Their primary function is to protect the interests of workers against discrimination and unfair labor practices. Trade unions are formed to achieve the following objectives:

Representation Trade unions represent individual workers when they have a problem at work. If an employee feels he is being unfairly treated, he can ask the union representative to help sort out the difficulty with the manager or employer. Unions also offer their members legal representation. Normally this is to help people get financial compensation for work -related injuries or to assist people who have to take their employer to court.
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Negotiation Negotiation is where union representatives, discuss with management, the issues which affect people working in an organization. There may be a difference of opinion between management and union members. Trade unions negotiate with the employers to find out a solution to these differences. Pay, working hours, holidays and changes to working practices are the sorts of issues that are negotiated. In many workplaces there is a formal agreement between the union and the company which states that the union has the right to negotiate with the employer. In these organizations, unions are said to be recognized for collective bargaining purposes.

Voice in decisions affecting workers The economic security of employe es is determined not only by the level of wages and duration of their employment, but also by the managements personal policies which include selection of employees for layoffs, retrenchment, promotion and transfer. These policies directly affect workers. The evaluation criteria for such decisions may not be fair. So, the intervention of unions in such decision making is a way through which workers can have their say in the decision making to safeguard their interests.

Member services During the last few years, trade unions have increased the range of services they offer their members. These include:
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Education and training - Most unions run training courses for their members on employment rights, health and safety and other issues. Some unions also help members who have left school with little education by offering courses on basic skills and courses leading to professional qualifications.

Financial discounts - People can get discounts on mortgages, insurance and loans from unions.

Legal assistance - As well as offering legal advice on employment issues, some unions give help with personal matters, like housing, wills and debt.

Welfare benefits - One of the earliest functions of trade unions was to look after members who hit hard times. Some of the older unions offer financial help to their members when they are sick or unemployed.