TOPIC FOR THE SEMINAR

MULTIPLICITY OF TRADE UNIONS AND INTER UNION RIVALRY IN INDIA

Submitted by:

Bidish Goswami

B.Com 3rd year

Roll no. 102

Dept.: HRM

INTRODUCTION:

Trade unionism is a worldwide movement and the highly strategic position

occupied by trade unions in modern industrial society has been widely recognized. Union

oriented, mainly in Great Britain and the U.S.A in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as,

associations of workers using the same skill. The early unions were formed as partly as

social clubs but soon became increasingly concerned with improving wages and working

conditions, primarily by the device of collective bargaining. With industrial development,

however, local associations sooner or later followed the expansion of production beyond

the local market and developed into national unions of the same trade. These in turn

formed national union federations.

In most cases, employees’ associations or trade unions seem to have emerged as

‘protest movements’ reaching against the working relationships and condition created by

industrialisation. When industrialization begins, organization members have to be

generally recruited from the ranks of former agricultural labour and artisans who have to

adapt themselves to the changed conditions of industrial employment. They have to be

provided with new types of economic security – wages / salaries, benefits and services

etc. Often they may have to learn to live together in newly developing industrial

townships and cities and also to adopt themselves to new working conditions and new

pattern of work-rules imposing discipline and setting pace of work to which they are

unfamiliar. Their old habits and traditions do not suffice to guide them in their daily

work-behaviour and in consequence they may be disorganized and frustrated. Thus the

growth of modern industrial organizations involving the employment of a large number

of workers / employees in new type of working conditions and environment makes them

helpless in bargaining individually for their terms of employment. This led to the birth of

trade unions in many countries and also in India as well.

The term ‘Trade Union’ has been defined in various ways because of wide

differences in the use of this term in different countries. Of all the definitions of a trade

union, the classic definition of Sidney and Webb’s has been most popular. According to

them a trade union is “a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of

maintaining or improving the condition of their working lives”. Since this definition does

not cover all the extensions of trade union activities in modern times, a trade union with

some modification may be redefined as “a continuous association of wage-earners or

salaried employees for maintaining the conditions of their working lives and ensuring

them a better and healthier status in industry as well as in the society”.

FUNCTIONS OF THE TRADE UNION:

The trade unions are organisations of and for the workers and the main functions

and objectives of a trade union are summarised below:

1. To safeguard workers against all sorts of exploitation by the employers, by union leaders and by political parties.

2. To protect workers from the atrocities and unfair practices of the management.

3. To ensure healthy, safe and conducive working conditions, and adequate conditions of work.

4. To exert pressure for enhancement of rewards associated with the work only after making a realistic assessment of its practical implications.

5. To ensure a desirable standard to living by providing various types of social service – health, housing, educational, recreational, cooperative, etc. and by widening and consolidating the social security measures.

6. To guarantee a fair and square deal and social security measures.

7. To remove the dissatisfaction and redress the grievances and complaints of workers.

8. To encourage worker’s participation in the management of industrial organization and trade union, and to foster labour-management cooperation.

9. To make the workers conscious of their rights and duties.

10. To impress upon works the need to exercise restraint in the use of rights and to enforce them after realistically ascertaining their practical implications.

11. To stress the significance of settling disputes through negotiation, joint consultation and voluntary arbitration.

12. The raise the status of trade union members in the industrial organization and in the society at large.

TRADE UNIONS IN INDIA:

There are nearly thirteen trade unions in India out of which only four are the

major unions of the country. They are:

The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) by the

Congress.

All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) by the CPI.

United Trade Union Congress (UTUC) by the CPI (M).

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) by the BJP.

PROBLEMS OF TRADE UNIONS:

The following are some of the most important problems of the trade unions in India:

1. Multiplicity of Trade Unions and Inter-union Rivalry

2. Small Size of Unions.

3. Financial Weakness.

4. Leadership Issues.

5. Politicalisation of the Unions

6. Problems of Recognition of Trade Unions

Out of the above mentioned problems only the “Multiplicity of Trade Unions and Inter-

union Rivalry” is selected as the topic for the seminar.

MULTIPLICITY OF TU AND INTER UNION RIVALRY:

The multiplicity of trade unions is a major problem among the trade unions. These

multiple trade unionism is seen mainly because of the political outsiders wanting to

establish their unions for their own view of increasing their political influence although in

the urban areas. The existence of different conflicting or rival organisations, with

divergent political views, is greatly responsible for inadequate and unhealthy growth of

the movement. Within a single organisation one comes across a number of groups

comprising or ‘insiders and outsiders’, ‘new-comers’, and ‘old-timers’, moderates’ and

radicals’, and ‘high’ and low caste’ people. This develops small size unions which are not

helpful for the workers or employees and creates problems such as:

Rivalry between the unions

Lack of ability among the leaders and members.

Low bargaining power.

Lack of funds to help its members.

Lack of unity among workers.

India has the largest number of Trade Unions in the world but the rivalry between

the unions or the inter-union rivalry is a niggling problem. Inter-union and intra-union

rivalry undermines the strength and solidarity of the workers in many ways.

An Inter-union rivalry is mainly because of the multiplicity of unions which

ultimately cuts at the very root of unionism, weakens the power of collective bargaining,

and reduces the effectiveness of workers in securing their legitimate rights. Therefore,

there should be “One union in one Industry”. Practically in every important industry,

there exists parallel and competing unions, e.g. on the Indian Railways, there are two

parallel Federations – the Indian Railway Men’s Federation and Indian National

Federation of Railway-men. The same case could be seen in the Textile Industry in

Bombay, where there are two unions – the Girni Kamgar Union (controlled by the CPI)

and the Rashtria Mazdoor Sangh (controlled by the INTUC).

As the trade unions are functioning from the plant level, there is room for

disagreement within the democratic structure of trade union. Even the absence of any

legal requirements in the greater part of the country to recognize any union as the sole

bargaining agent is a major factor which generates the wide-spread and a bitter trade

union rivalry. This problem may lead to Industrial Unrest, strikes, gheraos etc in the

organisation.

CODE OF CONDUCT:

The four central labour organisations (the INTUC, the AITUC, the HMS, and the

UTUC) voluntarily adopted an inter union ‘Code of Conduct’ on May 21st, 1958 to

observe the following basic principles for the maintenance of harmonious trade union

relation. They are:

1. Every employee in the industry or unit shall have the freedom and

right to join a union of his choice. No coercion shall be exercised in

this matter.

2. There should be no dual membership of unions.

3. There shall be unreserved acceptance of, and respect for the

democratic functioning of trade unions.

4. There shall be regular and democratic elections of executive bodies.

5. Ignorance and / or backwardness of workers shall not be exploited by

any organisation. No organisation shall make excessive and

extravagant demands.

6. Casteism, communalism and provincialism shall be avoided by all

unions.

7. There shall be no violence, coercion, intimidation, or personal

vilification in inter union dealings.

8. All Central unions shall combat the formation or continuance of

company unions.

CONCLUSION:

The problem of trade union rivalry is a vexing problem among the trade unions of

the country mainly because of the multiplicity of trade unions and also for the view of

increasing their political influence mainly in the urban areas of the country. The growth

of small sized unions have lessened the strength of the trade unions which have greatly

affected the workers as it weakens the power of collective bargaining, and reduces the

effectiveness of workers in securing their legitimate rights. The method of ‘divide and

rule’ is seen in the case of trade union in the present day world.

SUGGESTIONS:

In regard to the inter union rivalry, the National Commission of Labour

recommended the following suggestions by which the inter union rivalry could be

reduced:

i. Building of internal leadership within the unions in order to eliminate

party politics and outsiders;

ii. Promotion of collective bargaining through recognition of sole bargaining

agents,

iii. Improving the system of union recognition;

iv. Encouraging unions security; and

v. Empowering the labour courts to settle inter union disputes, if the

concerned central organisation is unable to resolve these.

It is regrettable to note that these recommendations have not yet been implemented by the

government.

SOURCES AND REFERRENCES :

BOOKS:

1. Dr. C.B. Mamoria, Dr. Satish Mamoria and S.V. Gankar, Dynamics of

Industrial Relation, Himalaya Publication House Pvt. Ltd.

INTERNET:

1. http://jir.sagepub.com/content/9/2/140.extract

2. www.usak.ca/law/sallows/papers/harcourt