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