E

TRADE UNION
mployees association constitute one of the stakeholders in IR. These associations are popularly known as trade union .Trade union are not mere striking and negotiation on behalf of workers. Their role is much wider.

Union for example may make their presence felt in recruitment and selection. They may also decide who is to be hired and under what conditions. Union can also play an important role in deciding who is to be promoted, given a new job assignment, sent for training, terminated or laid off. And the role of union in IR is too well known. IT is, therefore, essential that we discuss the nature of union, why employees join union, present state of unions, their trends and other related aspects.

NATURE OF TRADE UNION

Trade union is voluntary organization of workers or employers formed to promote and protect their interests, through collective action. The trade Union act, 1926 defines a combination, whether temporary or permanent, formed (a) primarily for the purpose of regulation the relation between (i)Workmen and employers or (ii) between workmen and workmen, or(iv)between employers and employers, or(v)for imposing restrictive condition on the conduct of any trade or business, and includes any federation of two or more trade union.

ORIGIN
Since the publication of the History of Trade Unionism[1894] by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, the predominant historical view is that a trade union is a continuous association of wage earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. A modern definition by the Australian Bureau of Statistics states that a trade union is an organization consisting

predominantly of employees, the principal activities of which include the negotiation of rates of pay and conditions of employment for its members. Trade unions have sometimes been seen as successors to the guilds of medieval Europe, though the relationship between the two is disputed. Medieval guilds existed to protect and enhance their members livelihoods though controlling the instructional capital of artisanship and the progression of members from apprentice to craftsman, journeyman, and eventually to master and grandmaster of their craft. A trade union might include workers from only one trade or craft, or might combine several or all the workers in one company or industry.

1. An analysis of works or employers. 2. Such a combination could be permanent or temporary, 3. Could include federation of two or more union, and 4. To relation among workmen, between and employers themselves.
Trade unions and /or collective bargaining were o3utlawed from no later than the middle of the 14th century when the Ordinance of Laborers was enacted in the Kingdom of England.

DEFINITION A trade union or Labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers. This may include the negotiation of wages, work rules, complaint procedures, rules governing hiring, firing and promotion of workers, benefits, workplace safety and policies. The agreements negotiated by the union leaders are binding on the rank and file members and the employer and in some cases on other non-member workers.

STRATEGIC CHOICES
Manager has to make several strategic choices regarding the role of the organization. The most important choices are as follow: 1. Managers must decide whether the origination should remain union-free or allow unionization. 2.If unionization should be allowed, managers must decide what of union-management relationship they want. Once determined.\,they must take appropriate step to make this type of relationship a reality. 3 .The management must also choose the type of tactic to use while negotiation a new wage settlement.

BENEFITS
Over the last three hundred years, many trade unions have developed into a number of forms, influenced by differing political objectives. Activities of trade unions vary, but may include: Provision of benefits to members: Early trade unions, like Friendly Societies, often provided a range of benefits to insure members against unemployment. Ill health, old age and funeral expenses. In many developed countries, these functions have been assumed by the state; however, the provision of professional training, legal advice and representation for members is still an important benefit of trade union membership.

WHY DO EMPLOYEES JOIN UNION?

Earlier, workers used to join union to protect themselves against exploitation by the management, or by force. Hire and fire policies,

in human working condition, niggardly wage payments and long hours of work were common in the past, and workers joined union to seek protection against such practices. Not that Refusal to join led to use of muscle power. With a general increase in literacy, awareness and economic status on the part not witnessed nowadays. Three rezones account for urination in any plant. They are dissatisfaction, lack of power, and union instrumentality.

DISSATISFACTION
When an individual these a job, certain condition of employment are specified in the employment contract. A psychological contract also exists between employer and employee, consisting of the unspecified of the employee about reasonable working condition, requirements of the work itself, the level of that should be expended on the job, and the nature of authority the employer should have in direction the employees work. The management and the HR department often contradict to the level of work dissatisfaction by doing the following; 1. Giving unrealistic job previews that create expectation which cannot be fulfilled. 2. Designing jobs that fail to use the skills, and abilities of employees, and also fail to satisfy their personalities, interests and preferences. 3. Practicing poor day-to-day management and supervisory practices, including unfair treatment and one-way downward communication. 4. Failing to tell employees that employee that the management would prefer to co-operated without unions and that the organization is committed to treating employees with respect.

LACK OF POWER

Unionization may not be the first recourse dissatisfied employees will take. First, the employees seek to remove the dissatisfaction by his or her own effort. How far the employees shall succeed in removing dissatisfaction depends on the essentiality and exclusivity of the job. Essentiality refers to the importance of the job holder and exclusivity implies the ease with which the employees can be replaced. Power of employees to remove dissatisfaction is high when his or her position in organization is extremely important and it is difficult to replace him or her.

Union instrumentality
Employees perceive unions as being instrumental in removing their dissatiafaction.The more the employees derived that a union can up twain positive work aspects, the more instrumental the union is for the employees. The employees then weight the value of the benefits to be obtained, thought unionization, against its cost such as the lengthy organizing campaign and bad feeling among supervisors, managers and other employees who may nit relish unionization. Finally, the employees weight the costs and a debit against the likelihood of a union instrumentality is high, employees will be more willing to unionize.

Satisfaction

Influence of management Attempt t o Resolve situation individually

FACTORS LEADING TO UNIONISATION

Individual personality, interests and preferences

Expectation that will fulfill personality, interests, and preferences (i)Employment contract (ii) Psychological contract

Work situation

Dissatisfaction with work situation

Union instrumentality

Unionization

STRATEGIC CHOICES BEFORE UNIONS

Just as employers are expected to make strategic choices, unions too should choose alternative strategies. The major alternatives available before the union are-bread butter versus political objectives, adversarial versus cooperative role and traditional labor services.

ADVERSARIAL VERSUS CO-OPERATIVE ROLE

In the past, the role of union was adversarial in nature. Union perceived their role as challenging management rather than co-operating with the managements adversarial role is gradually being replaced by co-operative role.

TRADITIONAL ISSUES VERSUS NEW SERVICES

As will be seen later, union are gradually losing their ground. In order to regain base ,they should give up old issues and pious on new shrives .Relevance in future on their ability to cope with structural, economic and social changes, and there to accommodate changes in social attitudes without compromising their collective character.

UNION TACTICS
The tactics used by the management to handle union were discussed in the previous chapter. Just as the management uses certain tactics against union, employees organizing drive, which is nothing but forming a union where none exists. (i) The mere threat of its use may bring the management to terms, (ii)a successful drive may like vice bring the management to terms, and (iii)an organization drive may be part of a larger campaign against an entire industry. The origination tries to capitalize union employees dissatisfaction and

promises workers that dissatisfaction would be remove if they join a union .The appeal to their economic interested ,and to deep laying resentment may arouse or crystallize anti-management sentiment which last long after the organizing drive itself is over and the union has become a part of plant life. By far the most important union tactic is strike. A strike is a concerted and temporary suspension of function, designed to exert pressure upon other in the same unit .There are several respond for the supremacy of strike as a weapon.

All India Trade Union Congress

The nationalist leaders took the initiative of forming the Trade union as a national body. The All India Trade Union Congress [AITUC] came into existence on 3c1st October 1920.Lala Lajapathi Ray was elected as the President of the AITUC. The national leaders were closely associated with the Trade union congress. The celebrated nationalist leaders like C.R.Dass, V.V.Giri and later on Sarojini Naidu. Jawaharlal Nehru etc presided over the annual sessions of the All India Trade Union Congress [AITUC]. By 1927, the number of trade union congress affiliated to the ALTUC increased to 57. During 1926-27 the AITUC was divided into two called the reforming and the revolutionary groups. The Communist thinking seemed to carry greater influence in the formation and the working of the AITUC. The strikes became the principal weapon of the trade Unionists. They published their own journal Kranti, which became the instrument to propagate the ideals and principle of the Trade union. The motto of the kranti was to overthrow capitalism.

TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN INDIA

Trade union movement in India our country has a century-long history .The first quarter of the century saw the birth of the union movement, but of the tired union movement, but the seeds of the movement were sown much earlier.IN the twenties, soon after the first world war working class in our counter relished the effectiveness of strike as a mean of oblations concession, higher wages and better working condition.

A land mark in the history of labor movement was the enactment of the trade union Act; 1926.The act gave a legal status to the registered trade union and conferred on them and their member a measure of immunity from civil suits and criminal prosecution. Registration of union gave them respectability before employers and the general public. The unity was shattered during the Second World War because of ideological differences and mounting cost of living. Industrial unrest increased and the government banned strikes an lockouts the defense of India rules luckily, workers relished the need for an organized to secure life. This realization led to increases of the union. As of today there are 50,000 registered union and most of them are affiliated to one or the other central tread union.

TRENDS IN UNION MOVEMENT TRADE

1. A major trade witnessed these days is the change in the attitude of the union towards management, industry, government and the economy. (i) Union are become increasingly matured, responsive and realistic in their thinking and action. Gone are the days of cat-call strikes, sands, heroes and violence. (ii)Union are reconciled to economic reforms. Their accent is on opposing the adverse impact of reforms and not the reforms per se. (iii)Discussion among trade union circles nowadays is on issues like productivity, total quality management, technology, competition, exports and the like. Major union likes that of the telecom employees for employees, for example are with the corporation of the department. They are now talking about issues like gearing up for competition and inculcation a customer friendly approach. 2. The experience of politically free union is pleasant, reinforcing the belief that father the union are from politic more advantages it is for them look at the achievement of the union which have no affiliations. (i) The internal union at the ailing at the ailing kamahi industries successfully took over the company and is now running it as workers cooperative. (ii) Independent union obtained a high-court order scrapping the ceiling on

house rent allowance fixed by the Maharashtra government. 3. Nature abhors vacuum, so goes the saying. Union seem to relish affiliations. They are now formed on the basis of religion and cast. 4. Workers association in our country is highly fragmented and the consequence has been the multiplicity of union. Multiplicity is caused by ideological rifts, personal ambition of leader, rift division among workers, and the managements own myopia .The number of union in some organization is truly mind boggling. The multiplicity of union weakens the bargaining strength of employees. The managements position is no better. example the management of the Calcutta- bawds dolphin laboratories which had raised money in the capital market in may 1994,to start a in second manufacturing base Gujarat, was forced, two months later, to shift completely from west Bengal because of intrusion rivalry over the duration of wage of agreement. 5. One of the trades of the union movement in our country has been phenomenon of outside leader ship. Individual who were not connected with would assume the leadership mantle of the union. A Bangalore-based electric company is an example to be quoted in this context. 6. The clout of the central trade union, which peaked during, the post nationalization year, has started waning. For example, the membership of the INTUC, which claimed to have enjoy strength of 54.35 lack in 1989,had slipped to 54.05 lack in 1993,a fall by 30,000.same is the fate of the CITU.

Center Of Indian Trade Union

CITU or Centre of Indian Trade Union is a National level Trade Union in India politically attached to the Communist Party of India. The Centre of Indian Trade Unionist today one of biggest assembly of workers and classes of India. It has strong unquestionable besides a good presence in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It has presence in almost all of the Indian states

At present there are twelve Central Trade Union Organizations in India:

All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP) Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) Indian Federation of Free Trade Unions (IFFTU) Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU) National Labor Organization (NLO) Trade Unions Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) United Trade Union Congress (UTUC) and United Trade Union Congress - Lenin Sarani (UTUC - LS) FEATURES OF TRADE UNION It is an organization formed by employees or workers. It is formed on a continuous basis. It is a permanent body and not a casual or temporary one. 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. It achieves its objectives through collective action and group effort .

EVOLUTION OF TRADE UNION IN INDIA

Emergence of TU in India can be defined in three phases: The first phase falls between 1850 and 1900 during which the inception of trade unions took place. During this period of the growth of Indian Capitalist enterprises, the working and living conditions of the labor were poor and their working hours were long. Capitalists were only interested in their productivity and profitability. In addition to long working hours, their wages were low and general economic conditions were poor in industries. In order to regulate the working hours and other service conditions of the Indian textile laborers, the Indian Factories Act was enacted in 1881 As a result, employment of child labour was prohibited. Mr. N M Lokhande organized people like Rickshawalas etc., prepared a study repo it to the Factory Labour

Commission.rt on their working conditions and submitted The Indian Factory Act of 1881 was amended in 1891 due to his efforts. Guided by educated philanthropists(generous donors) and social workers like Mr. Lokhande, the growth of trade union movement was slow in this phase. Many strikes took place in the two decades following 1880 in all industrial cities. These strikes taught workers to understand the power of united action even though there was no union in real terms. Small associations like Bombay Mill-Hands Association came up. The second phase of The Indian trade union movement falls between 1900 and 1947. this phase was characterized by the development of organized trade unions and political movements of the working class. It also witnessed the emergence of militant trade unionism. The First World War (1914-1918) and the Russian revolution of 1917 gave a new turn to the Indian trade union movement and organized efforts on part of the workers to form trade unions. In 1918, B P Wadia organized trade union movements with Textile mills in Madras. He served strike notice to them and workers appealed to Madras High Court because under Common Law, strike is a breach of law. In 1919, Mahatma Gandhi suggested to let individual struggle be a Mass movement. In 1920, the First National Trade union organization (The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)) was established. Many of the leaders of this organization were leaders of the national Movement. In 1926, Trade union law came up with the efforts of Mr. N N Joshi that became operative from 1927. The third phase began with the emergence of independent India (in 1947), and the Government sought the cooperation of the unions for planned economic development. The working class movement was also politicized along the lines of political parties. For instance Indian national trade Union Congress (INTUC) is the trade union arm of the Congress Party. The AITUC is the trade union arm of the Communist Party of India. Besides workers, white-collar employees, supervisors and managers are also organized by the trade unions, as for example in the Banking, Insurance and Petroleum industries. OBJECTIVES OF TRADE UNION Wages salaries Working conditions Discipline Personnel policies

Welfare Employee-employer relation Negotiating machinery Safeguarding organizational health and interest of the industry EDUCATION AND TRAINING. LEGAL ASSISTANCE. FINANCIAL DISCOUNTS. WELFARE BENEFITS. FUNCTIONS OF TRADE UNION Functions of trade union can be broadly classified into : MILITANT FUNCTIONS. FRATERNAL FUNCTIONS. MILITANT FUNCTIONS One set of activities performed by trade unions leads to the betterment of the position of their members in relation to their employment. The aim of such activities is to ensure adequate wages, secure better conditions of work and employment, get better treatment from employers, etc. When the unions fail to accomplish these aims by the method of collective bargaining and negotiations, they adopt an approach and put up a fight with the management in the form of go-slow tactics, strike, boycott, gherao, etc. Hence, these functions of the trade unions are known as militant or fighting functions. Thus, the militant functions of trade unions can be summed up as: To achieve higher wages and better working conditions To raise the status of workers as a part of industry To protect labors against victimization and injustice FRATERNAL FUNCTIONS Another set of activities performed by trade unions aims at rendering help to its members in times of need, and improving their efficiency. Trade unions try to foster a spirit of cooperation and promote friendly industrial relations and diffuse education and culture among their members. Thus, the fraternal functions of trade unions can be summed up as: To take up welfare measures for improving the morale of workers

To generate self confidence among workers To encourage sincerity and discipline among workers To provide opportunities for promotion and growth To protect women workers against discrimination REASONS FOR JOINING TRADE UNION GREATER BARGAINING POWER MINIMIZE DISCRIMINATION SENSE OF SECURITY SENSE OF PARTICIPATION SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS PLATFORM FOR SELF EXPRESSION BETTERMENT OF RELATIONSHIP

Problems & weaknesses of Trade Unions

Uneven Growth. The trade unionism in India is characterized by uneven growth, both industry-wise and area-wise. Trade unions are popular in big industries and the degree of unionization varies widely from industry to industry. Besides, trade union activities are concentrated in a few states and in bigger industrial centers mainly due to concentration of industries in those places. Limited Membership. The number of trade unions in India has increased considerably. But this has been followed by the declining membership per union.

Multiplicity of Unions: There exist several trade unions in the same

establishment. The law permits and gives sanctity to small unions. Any seven persons can form a union under the Trade Unions Act, 1926. This Act confers rights on such a union. It is allowed under the Act to raise disputes, file suits, go to conciliation and even bargain with employers. Therefore, small sections of workers are encouraged to form separate Unions. There is no restriction on the number of unions to be registered in one establishment.

Outside Leadership: Trade unions in India are led largely by people who
themselves are not workers. These outsiders are politicians, intellectuals and professionals having no experience of work in industry. Outsiders continue to

dominate the trade unions to advance their personal interests.

Financial Problems: The financial position of the trade unions is weak because their average yearly income is very low and inadequate. The subscription rates are very low. Under conditions of multiplicity of unions, a union interested in increasing its membership figures keeps the subscription rate unduly low. As a result, the funds with the unions are inadequate and they cannot undertake welfare programs for their members. Another reason for the weak financial position of union is that large amounts of subscription dues remain unpaid by the workers. Besides this, unions do not have proper staff and organization to collect subscriptions.

REFERENCES
HRM BY ASWATHAPPA HRM BY C.V.MAMORIA WWW.TRADE UNION.COM