INTRODUCTION

A trade union or trades union, also called a labour union or labor union, is
an organization of workers who have come together to achieve common goals such
as protecting the integrity of its trade, improving safety standards, achieving higher
pay and benefits such as health care and retirement, increasing the number of
employees an employer assigns to complete the work, and better working
conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on
behalf of union members (rank and file members) and negotiates labour
contracts (collective bargaining) with employers. The most common purpose of
these associations or unions is "maintaining or improving the conditions of
their employment".[1] This may include the negotiation of wages, work rules,
complaint procedures, rules governing hiring, firing and promotion of workers,
benefits, workplace safety and policies.
 CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND
Development of modern industry, especially in the Western countries, can be traced back to the 18th
century. Industrial development in India on Western lines, however commenced from the middle of the
19th century. The first organised Trade Union in India named as the Madras Labour Union was formed in
the year 1918. Since then a large number of unions sprang up in almost all the industrial centres of the
country. Similarly, entrepreneurs also formed their organisations to protect their interests.

DEFINATION

Trade Unions are the groups set-up with the aim of trying to create fairness and job security in a
workplace.

Section 2(h) of the Trade Union Act,1926 has define a trade union as:

Any combination, whether temporary or permanent, former primarily for the purpose of
regulating the relation between workman and workmen or between employers, or for imposing
restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business, and includes any federation of two or
more trade unions.

Features of trade unions:

I. It is an organisation formed by employees or workers.

II. It is formed on a continuous basis. It is a permanent body and not a casual or temporary one.

III. It is formed to protect and promote all kinds of interests economic, political and social-of its
members. The dominant interest with which a union is concerned is, however, economic.

IV. It includes federations of trade unions also.

V. It achieves its objectives through collective action and group effort.

 Trade unions are organisations that represent people at work. Their purpose is to protect and
improve people's pay and conditions of employment. They also campaign for laws and policies
which will benefit working people.

Trade unions exist because an individual worker has very little power to influence decisions
that are made about his or her job. By joining together with other workers, there is more
chance of having a voice and influence.

All sorts of jobs and industries are covered by trade unions. Some unions represent people
who do a particular job or work in a specific industry - for example, the National Union of
Journalists (NUJ), as its name suggests, represents journalists, and the Union for Finance Staff
(UNIFI) is made up of people who do different jobs in the financial sector.

Other unions include a mixture of people in different jobs and sectors. The biggest unions in
Britain - the GMB, UNISON and the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) represent
people working in a range of different occupations and industries in the public and private
sectors. Often this is because unions have merged with other unions so that they can increase
their membership and their influence.

What do unions do?

The main service a union provides for its members is negotiation and representation. There are
other benefits people get from being members of trade unions.

Negotiation

Representation

Information and advice

Member services

Negotiation

Negotiation is where union representatives discuss with management issues which affect people
working in an organisation. The union finds out the members' views and relays these views to
management. There may be a difference of opinion between management and union members.
'Negotiation' is about finding a solution to these differences. This process is also known as 'collective
bargaining'.

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 organisations, unions are said to be
'recognised' for 'collective bargaining' purposes.
Pay, working hours, holidays and changes to working practices are the sorts of issues that are
negotiated. People who work in organisations where unions are recognised are better paid and are less
likely to be made redundant than people who work in organisations where unions are not recognised.

Representation

Trade unions also represent individual members when they have a problem at work. If an employee
feels they are being unfairly treated, he or she can ask the union representative to help sort out the
difficulty with the manager or employer.

If the problem cannot be resolved amicably, the matter may go to an industrial tribunal. Industrial
tribunals make sure that employment laws are properly adhered to by employees and employers. They
are made up of people outside the workplace who listen to the employer's and the employee's point of
view and then make a judgement about the case. People can ask their union to represent them at
industrial tribunals. Most cases that go to industrial tribunals are about pay, unfair dismissal,
redundancy or discrimination at work.

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

Information and advice

Unions have a wealth of information which is useful to people at work. They can advise on a range of
issues like how much holiday you are entitled to each year, how much pay you will get if you go on
maternity leave, and how you can obtain training at work.

Member services

During the last ten years, trade unions have increased the range of services they offer their members.
These include:

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.

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

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

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
What is the role of trade unions in industrial disputes?

Most 'collective bargaining' takes place quietly and agreements are quickly reached by the union
and the employer. Occasionally disagreements do occur and the two sides cannot agree. In
these cases the union may decide to take industrial action.

Industrial action takes different forms. It could mean an over time ban, a work-to-rule or a
strike. There are strict laws which unions have to follow when they take industrial action.

A strike is only called as a last resort. Strikes are often in the news but are rare. Both sides have
a lot to lose. Employers lose income because of interruptions to production or services.
Employees lose their salaries and may find that their jobs are at risk.

Usually employers and employees will go to some lengths to avoid the costs of strike action to
both groups. Photolibrary Group

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) is often used to help find a solution to
a dispute which is acceptable to both sides.
FUNCTIONS

Militant

Fraternal

Intra-mural activities

Extra-mural activitie

Political activities.

Reasons Why Employees Join Unions

Protection

Social pressure

Compulsion

Political beliefs

Solidarity

Tradition

Pay and conditions

Communication

Health and safety

CRITICISM OF TRADE UNION BY EMPLOYERS

Lack of education

May not welcome change

Strick on Illogical basis

Creation of Artificical scanity of labour

Undue demands relating to wages

Type of Union Description / Example

Craft of skills union To represent skilled workers e.g. Musicians Union (MU)

Industrial unions To represent the members of one particular industry e.g. Fire Brigades Union

(FBU)

General unions Unions which recruit workers from all types of industries and with any level or ra
Manufacturing Science and Finance Union (MSF)

White-collar unions Represent office workers e.g. National Union of Teachers (NUT)
STRUCTURE OF TRADE UNIONS

Plant level Federations

Local level Federations

Regional Level Federations

National Level Federations

Unions structure diagram

Union Members

Shop Stewards (Union Representatives)

Branches District and Regional Offices

National Office

Trade unions are democratic organisations which are accountable to their members for their
policies and actions. Unions are normally modelled on the following structure:

Members - people who pay a subscription to belong to a union

Shop stewards - sometimes called union representatives - who are elected by members of the
union to represent them to management

Branches - which support union members in different organisations locally. There is usually a
branch secretary who is elected by local members

District and/or regional offices - these are usually staffed by full time union officials. These are
people who are paid to offer advice and support to union members locally

A national office - the union's headquarters which offers support to union members and
negotiates or campaigns for improvements to their working conditions. At the top of the
organisation there is usually a General Secretary and a National Executive Committee, elected
by the union's members.
TRADE UNIONS ACT
1926

Trade Unions Act, 1926 provides for the registration of the Trade Unions with the Registrars of
Trade Unions of their territory. Any seven or more members of a trade union by submitting their
names to the registrar of trade unions and otherwise complying with the provisions of the Act
with respect to registration may apply for the registration of the Trade Union under the Trade
Unions Act. The Act gives protection to registered trade unions in certain cases against civil and
criminal action.

AIBOC - All India Bank Officers Confederation

AISGEF - All India State Government Employees Federation

Center of Indian Trade Unions - Major trade union

Hind Mazdoor Sabha - Membership, objectives and trade union situation

Indian National Trade Union Congress - History, aims, objectives and activities

NCOA - National Confederation of Officer's Association of Central Publid Sector Undertakings

Organized Labour - Article on role of organized labour and trade unions in economic
liberalization

PWTUC - Professional Workers Trade Union Centre of India

Trade Union India - Trade union international of public and allied employees

Four important central organisations of workers in India are

1. The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). The Congress Party and the top congress
leaders formed the INTUC like Nehru and Patel were associated with it. Every union affiliated to INTUC
has to submit its dispute to arbitration after exhausting other means of settlement of disputes.

2. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). This union serves as the labour forum of Communist
Party of India at present. It is considered as the second largest union in India.

3. The Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS). It was formed in Calcutta by the socialists who neither approved
INTUC nor AITUC. The HMS was organised with a view to keeping its members free from any political
or other outside interference.

4. The United Trade Union Congress (UTUC). Those persons who were dissident socialist formed
it. It functions mainly in Kerala and West Bengal.

5. Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The Marxists separated from the AITUC in May 1970 and
formed the CITU.
In addition to the above, there are four other central trade union organisations. They are:

Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS)

National Labour Organisation (NLO)

National Front of Indian Trade Unions

(NFITU)

Trade Union Congress Committee

LIMITATIONS
Uneven growth

Limited membership

Multiplicity of unions

Outside leadership

Financial problems

Indifferent attitude of workers

PROBLEMS AND WEAKNESS OF TRADE UNIONS

 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Better Wages

Better Working conditions

Bonus

Resist unsuitable schemes

Secure welfare

Project Interest of workers

Social welfare

Organisational growth and stablility

To resists scheme of the management which reduce employment eg.

Rationalization
To secure bonus for the employees from the profit of the concern
To secure better working conditions for workers
To improve the economic lot of employees by securing for them better
wages.
Objectives of Trade Unions & To secure organizational stability, growth.
To secure social welfare of the employees.
To protect the interest of employees by taking active participation in the
management.
To secure welfare of employees through group schemes which give benefit
to every employee automation & stability
SUGGESTIONS
Each trade union member pays a subscription. The amount varies from union to union and is
normally set at different levels according to the amount people earn. It is usually between 5
and 8 a month. Some unions reduce the fees for unemployed members.

People pay their subscription fees in different ways. It may be collected by direct debit from a
bank account, deducted directly from wages or paid in cash or by cheque to a union
representative or full time official.

In exchange, members receive the benefits of representation, negotiation, protection and other
services from their union.

One Union Per Industry

Paid Union Officials

Development of Internal Leadership

Recognition of Trade Unions

Improved Financial condition

FINDINGS
Different unions cover different jobs and industries. People are able to join the most appropriate union
for their job or sector.

People are recruited to unions in different ways. Most people find out about the union by talking to
colleagues at the workplace and then make direct contact with the union. Others are contacted by the
union representative who gives them information about the union and tells them how to join. Some
employers and personnel officers tell employees about the union when they start working for the
organisation.

Unions are stepping up their efforts to attract new members. Some are using adverts in newspapers and
magazines, television commercials and leaflets as part of high profile recruitment campaigns. The target
for these efforts is often people who work part time, in temporary jobs or in small organisations where
in the past union membership has not been very high.

Begun in 1998, the 'New Unionism' project aimed to boost Trade Union membership, especially in
newly-emerging industries and amongst members of the population who have been under-represented
traditionally in the trade unions. The project set up new union roles of Academy Organisers who were
trained intensively for 12 months in order to work as specialist union organisers. Research was carried
out by Cardiff Business School in 2003 into the project's effectiveness; the resulting report is The
Organising Academy - five years on.
CONCLUSION
Trade unions negotiate pay and conditions for people in a wide range of occupations.

There are several reasons for this fall in membership, including:

a dramatic fall in the number of jobs in manufacturing industries where union membership was
traditionally high

larger numbers of unemployed people

a fall in traditional full time employment and an increase in part time and temporary workers
who are less likely to join unions

an increase in the proportion of the workforce employed by small companies where it is often
difficult for unions to organise

hostile legislation - the previous Conservative government introduced laws which make it more difficult
for unions to operate and keep their members.

However, trade union membership is still quite high and many people are employed in workplaces
where unions are recognised by management for negotiating pay and conditions of employment.

There is also evidence that the decline in union membership is beginning to slow up. The TUC has
launched a major recruitment drive called 'New Unionism - Organising for Growth' and many unions are
stepping up their efforts to recruit in new industries and jobs. More and more people are turning to
trade unions because they want the protection they can prov