Types of Trade Unions

Trade unions fight for workers’ rights. As powerful

agents of workers, they seek to extract all kinds of
incentives, benefits for workers.
Through joint action, they provide solid protection
to workers and see that the domination of the
employer over the industrial arena is contained.
Apart from wages and terms of employment,
modern unions also take up issues concerning
production norms, introduction of new products,
technological changes and the like.
A trade union is there to represent and protect the
interests of its members. It is there to protect the
economic, political and social interests of its
members.

The principal aim is to negotiate with employer

over pay, job security, working hours, etc. putting
the collective power of its members to best
advantage.
The various types of trade union are: -
1. Craft Union
2. Industrial Union
3. General Union
4. Labour Unions
5. Blue-Collar Workers’ Unions
6. White-Collar Workers’ Unions
7. Reformist Unions
8. Friendly or Uplift Unions
9. Revolutionary Unions
10. Primary Unions
11. Staff Unions
12. Federation and Confederation
Type # 1. Craft Union:
The workers belonging to the same craft,
specialized skill or same occupation can form their
trade union irrespective of industry or trade they be
employed. For example, mechanists working
indifferent industries may form a union of
mechanists only. In the same way electricians,
carpenters, and turners may form their separate
unions.
Therefore, craft unions are open to members of a
certain trade/skill, like Air India Navigator’s
unions and Indian Pilots Guild.
The main drawback of this union is that during
strike in craft union, the entire working of the
organisation paralyzes because the workers of this
union cannot be easily replaced by other workers.
Their unions generally oppose technologically
advances in the organisation.
Type # 2. Industrial Union:
The workers on the basis of industry can form
unions irrespective of their craft. For example, if
entire workforce of a cement industry decides to
form a union consisting of workers of different
craft; the union is called an industrial union.
Therefore, an industrial union is open to the
members of workers of a factory like Girni Kamgar
Union at Bombay.
This type of union encourages workers solidarity
and makes negotiations easy because a single
agreement covers all workers of a particular
industry. One major drawback of this type of union
is that the skilled workers in it feel that their
specific demands are not scientifically taken care of.
Type # 3. General Union:
This type is open to all members irrespective of
their craft and industry within a particular city or
region. For example, Jamshedpur Labour Union,
whose membership includes workers engaged
indifferent industries and crafts of Jamshedpur. In
this case, there is no distinction between skilled and
unskilled workers.
Type # 4. Federations:
These are national level apex bodies in which plant
level unions, craft unions, industrial union and
general unions are affiliated. They coordinating the
affairs of various unions in their fold.
Type # 5. Labour Unions:
In these unions, membership is open to all workers
irrespective of their occupation, skill or industry,
the philosophy being that all workers have common
status and a common need for mutual help. Labour
unions refer to both craft and industrial unions.
Type # 6. Blue-Collar Workers’ Unions:
Blue-collar workers’ unions constitute of employees
usually performing operative jobs. They usually
operate machines in the production and allied
departments. Blue-collar workers constitute the
bulk of membership of trade unions in the
organised sector.
Type # 7. White-Collar Workers’ Unions:
Such unions usually comprise office staff or who
work off the shop floor and perform desk jobs or
provide service over the counter or any such other
job. White-collar category includes executives,
managers, professionals, administrators, supervi-
sors, clerks and the like.
We come across such unions in banks, service
sector, insurance companies, BPOs, software
organisations, Central and state government
offices, and so on.
Their members being educated and matured are
aware of the capacity to pay off their organisations
and, therefore, are more reasonable while they
prepare their charter of demands.
Type # 8. Reformist Unions:
These unions may be either business unions or
revolutionary unions.
i. Business Unions:
They are also known as ‘bread and butter unions’
and aim at securing economic interests of their
members and follow the method of collective
bargaining to accomplish their objectives.
ii. Revolutionary Unions:
Revolutionary unions are opposed to the capitalistic
industry and replace it by the socialistic systems
through radical means such as strikes, boycott and
gheraos.
Type # 9. Friendly or Uplift Unions:
These unions mainly aim at improving the
intellectual, moral and social life of their members.
These unions are not craft conscious. They rather
focus on the interest of workers. They are idealistic
in nature. Since they are law-abiding, they believe
in the institution of collective bargaining and also
setting up of cooperative enterprises, mutual
insurance, profit-sharing and the like.

Type # 10. Staff Unions:

The staff unions seek to recruit members like
clerks, supervisors, draughtsman, computer
Operators, managers, technicians, etc. Most of
employees working under the sectors like health
and services may also join these unions. Women are
also seen participating actively in unions. Staff
unions consist of both craft and industrial unions.
Type # 11. Primary Unions:
Primary unions is that unions which enroll a worker
as its member. It is in direct touch with its
members. It is the basic unit of a federation or a
trade union structure. Primary unions are
organised at the work-place and conduct industrial
disputes. It is the basic fighting unit which directly
comes in class with the employer. It is the union
which actually faces the employer and bears the
brunt of industrial disputes.
They run local offices and provide a common
platform to its members. However, they have been
organised on a variety of bases depending upon the
needs of its members,-local situations and
problems. However, for the sake of better
comprehension and convenience, primary unions
have been placed into three categories in India.
(a) Primary Unions of Industrial Type:
However, primary unions of industrial types
have further been placed in two groups i.e.,
these unions are of two types:
(i) Plant-level industrial unions, and
(ii) Industry-cum-centre unions.
(i) Plant-Level Industrial Unions:
These unions are organised on plant basis or an
industry basis. All persons employed in a factory or
an establishment belongs to one union. Such unions
cover a single plant, e.g., a factor, a mine or a
plantation. Membership is open to all employers
working in these units of employment, irrespective
of their crafts or their occupations.
Historically, early unions tended to be industrial
unions keeping their door open to all who cared to
join. The anti-employer speeches, along with blood-
curdling national slogans, could easily catch the
imagination of the workers. This process of
organising the workers facilitated their integration
in the national movement. Thus, comes the
industrial unions organised at the plant level and
the tradition so established continues till today and
will definitely do so in the future also.
(ii) Industry-Cum-Centre Unions:
Industry-wise or area- wise unions are those unions
which organise all workers irrespective of their
crafts and skill in one industry at a given centre.
Thus, the membership of this union is open to all
workers employed in particular industry located in
a particular city or a particular region. The base of
such unions is again industry but the unions of this
type differ from the former in that they are
designed to cover all employees of an industry
situated in a particular locality or region
irrespective of the number of plants or the
employers.
These unions have been organised as a result of the
need felt by workers in one industry at a given
centre to come together on a common platform.
The main reason for the development of such
industry-cum- centre union has been the
concentration of certain industries in particular
areas; organisation of employers in those centres
has also been a contributory cause! For instance,
textile workers in Bombay, Ahmedabad, Kanpur
and Indore, plantation labour in Assam, West
Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and jute mill
workers in West Bengal, got organised on this basis.
Transport workers in many States are other
instances in point.