Types, Structure and Functions of

Trade Unions

WIDE VARIETY OF TRADE UNIONS

EMERGED ACROSS THE GLOBE. THEY
CAN BE CLASSIFIED UNDER TWO BROAD
HEADS: (A) THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH
IT WAS FORMED; AND (B) ON THE BASIS
OF MEMBERSHIP
The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)

The INTUC came into existence on May 4, 1948 as a

result of the resolution passed by the Central Board of
Hindustan Mazdoor Sevak Sangh (HMSS) on 17
November, 1947.
A conference was held under the chairmanship of its
president Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which was
inaugurated by J. B. Kripalani on May 3, 1947 and was
attended by J.L.Nehru, Jagjiwan Ram, R.S.Shukla,
Hare Krishna Mehtab, Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya,
Aruna Asaf Ali, Ashok Mehta and S.C.Banerjee (the
grand old man of labour in Bengal)
Objectives: (i) to establish an order of society which is free from hindrances to an all round development of its members

(ii) to place industry under national ownership

(iii) to secure increasing association of members in the
administration of industry
(iv) to organize society in such a manner as to ensure full
employment
(v) to promote social, civic and political interest of workers,etc
Basic objectives were inspired by the Sarvodaya philosophy
The constitution of the INTUC emphasizes on the adoption of
peaceful means, consistent with the Gandhian philosophy of co-
trusteeship, Ahimsa and Satya
The means, therefore, are negotiation, conciliation and if
necessary adjudication of disputes
 It is associated with the ILO since 1949 and is the founder member of the International
Confederation of Free Trade Union Congress. It publishes an English weekly Indian Worker and a
Hindi weekly

All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)

It was established as a result of a resolution passed by
the organized workers of Bombay in a conference,
which was attended by Motilal Nehru, M.A.Jinnah,
Annie Besant, and Patel, on 31st October, 1920
Its first president was Lala Lajpat Rai
Objectives: There are in all eight objectives:
(i) to establish a socialist state in India
(ii) to socialise and nationalise means of production,
distribution and exchange
 (iii) to ameliorate the economic and social conditions of the working
class

(iv) to watch, promote and further the interests, rights,

and privileges of workers in all matters of employment
(v) to secure and maintain for the workers freedom of
speech, of press, of assembly, and the right to strike
The AITUC endeavours to achieve these objectives by the
legitimate, peaceful and democratic methods
In its 17th session AITUC adopted a two pillar policy: to
help in the development of the economy and to defend
the interest of the working class in that economy
AITUC is affiliated to World Federation of Trade Unions.
It publishes Hindi version of its organ Vishwa Darshan
United Trade Union Congress (UTUC)

Some trade union leaders of Socialist bent formed Hind

Mazdoor Sabha. Some leaders did not agree to it and
they formed on April 30, 1949 a new union called
United Trade Union Congress (UTUC)
Objectives: In all there are 6 objectives. Major ones are:
(i) to establish a socialist society in India
(ii) to establish a workers and peasants state in India
(iii) to nationalise and socialise the means of
production, distribution and exchange
(iv) to protect and promote workers rights & privileges
 (v) to secure and promote workers freedom of speech of press, of
association, of assembly, right to strike, etc

These objectives are to be achieved by the peaceful,

democratic means. Strike should be the last resort
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS)
It is the outcome of a decision taken by Jan Sangh at
Bhopal on 23rd July, 1954. Its General Secretary was
Dattopant Thengadi
Objectives: (i) to establish the Bharatiya order of
classless society in which there shall be secured full
employment
(ii) to assist workers in organising themselves in trade
unions as a medium of service to the motherland
 (iii) the right to strike; and (iv) to inculcate in the mindset of the
workers the spirit of service, cooperation, and dutifulness

The BMS is a productivity-oriented , non-political

trade union. Its ideological basis is the triple formula:
(i) Nationalise the labour; (ii) labourise the country;
and industrialise the nation
It rejects the idea of state control.
It tries to bring consumers as the third and the most
important party to industrial relations. Its accent is on
patriotism
For the furtherance and realisation of its aims and
objectives the Sangh employs all legitimate means
National Front of Indian Trade Union (NFITU)

This union was founded in 1967 with the claim of not

being controlled by any political party
Objectives: (i) to organise and unite trade unions with
the object of bringing up a National Central
Organisation of trade unions, independent of political
parties, employers and the government
(ii) to secure to members full facilities of recognition and
to raise their social, economic, and cultural conditions
(iii) to help in every possible way to raise real wages of
workers
In the fourth Congress of NFITU (November 1975) a declaration of principles was adopted, which stated

Every human being possesses fundamental, spiritual, and

indefensible rights as man is a creature of Supreme Being
Centre Of Indian Trade Union (CITU)
This union was founded in 1970. Its constitution says:
(i) The CITU stands for achieving complete emancipation
of the society from all exploitation
(ii) The CITU fights against all encroachments on the
economic and social rights of the workers
(iii) The CITU demands (i) nationalization of all foreign
monopoly concerns (ii) and of all concerns owned by
Indian monopolists and big industrialists
Unions classified according to purpose

Normally two types of union fall under this category:

1. Reformist and 2. Revolutionary
Reformist Unions: These unions aim at preserving
the capitalist society and the maintenance of usual
employer-employee relationship along with
elimination of competitive system of production
They neither seek comprehensive change nor wish to
destroy the existing social, economic or political
structure of the state. They desire only to modify them
in accordance with the current modes in society

For example, they may wish to increase labours share in the increased production or
they may improve the working conditions by enforcing safety measures

They seek to dignify labour by educating the masses

about it
In the U.S.A the unions affiliated with the American
Federation of Labour and the Congress of Industrial
Organization are predominantly of this type
Hoxie has subdivided them into Business unionism
and Uplift unionism
Business unionism is that form of labour
cooperation in which employees enter a successful
business relationship with the employers
 They represent workers in collective bargaining with their
employers. They are craft-conscious and not class- conscious

They wish to bring economic advantages to their

members, including increased wages and improved
working conditions
They use peaceful means and depend primarily upon
collective bargaining
Such unions favour voluntary arbitration, deprecate
strikes and avoid political action, which may be used if all
measures fail
Friendly or uplift unionism is idealistic in nature and
aspires to elevate the moral, intellectual and social life of
workers and advocates plans for social regeneration
 It emphasises such other considerations as education, health,
insurance and benefits

It is not craft-conscious but interest-conscious of

workers
Revolutionary Unions: These unions aim at
destroying the present structure completely and replace it
with new and different institutions
These unions seek to destroy the capitalist industry, to
abolish the wage system and private property
This union is extremely class-conscious rather than
trade-conscious
In the USA Industrial Workers of the World is of this type
 Revolutionary unionism is of two types: The anarchist and the
political

Anarchist unions are those that try to destroy the

existing economic system by revolutionary means
Political unions are those that gain power through
political action, enactment of laws to eliminate the
power of capital and the capitalists, redistributing
wealth and giving power to workers
Hoxie has also given a third type of union known as the
predatory union
A predatory union does not subscribe to any ideology It
can adopt any method which may deliver results and it
sticks at nothing
 Its characteristic is the ruthless pursuit of the matter in hand by whatever
means that seem appropriate at that moment

It is dominated by gangsters and is a tool for the

enrichment of its leaders
A hold-up union represents a combination of
unscrupulous business agents of a labour organization
with equally unscrupulous employers to thrust
exorbitant prices upon customers. The workers generally
receive only a small part of the increase in the prices and
their bosses and employers retain the larger chunk
A guerrilla union does not believe in cooperation with
the employers. It aims at exploiting whatever it can. It is
generally not democratic but boss-ridden.
 Its leaders are unscrupulous, ruthless and irresponsible and they
frequently make use of violence and exploitation

This type of union resorts to terrorism to enforce their

demands
A dependent union is one that is dependent wholly or
partly on the other unions of employees
Unions classified according to membership
Four types under this classification: Craft union, Staff
union, Industrial union and General union
1. Craft union: It is an organization of workers
employed in a particular craft or trade or in a single or
two or three related crafts/trades/occupations
 Such organizations link together those workers that have similar
skills, craft training and specialization

Historically speaking it were the craft unions that lent

stability to trade unionism
Their members are generally craft-conscious rather
than class-conscious and they aim at safeguarding
their members against the onslaught of employers
Such unions are horizontal in character, for they enroll
workers engaged in one or a single group of processes
such as spinning, weaving, warping, carpenters, joiners
Such unions provide the barest minimum of
associative integration
 2. Staff union: It is an organization based on the sense of
common status and common need for help

It implies a communality of outlook and presupposes

some solidarity between workers of different trades
It recruits members from related sectors such as clerks,
supervisors, draughtsmen etc.
These unions adopt more sophisticated method of
bargaining than other unions
3. Industrial union: It is an organization of workers
which links all craftsmen and skilled workers in any one
industry (such as coal, engineering, textiles) regardless
of the differences in craft, skill, grade, position or sex