Trade Unionism and Labour Politics

The growth of trade unionism in colonial India emerged alongside the rise of large-scale modern industries such as cotton textiles, jute mills, railways, and coal mining in the second half of the nineteenth century. Early efforts focused on welfare and humanitarian relief rather than organized class struggle.

Pioneer Leaders and Initial Reforms

• Sohrabji Shapurji Bengalee (1875): Drafted a bill to regulate child labor in Bombay factories, pressuring the colonial administration to examine working conditions.
• Narayan Meghaji Lokhande (1880s): Recognized as the father of the Indian labor movement. He founded the Bombay Millhands Association in 1890, the first labor association in India, and launched the newspaper Dinabandhu to highlight working-class grievances.
• First Factory Act (1881): Enacted primarily under pressure from Lancashire textile manufacturers in Britain. It restricted the employment of children under nine years of age and limited their working hours to seven hours a day.
• Second Factory Act (1891): Raised the minimum employment age for children to nine, limited women’s work hours to eleven per day, and mandated a weekly holiday for factory workers.

Phase of Organised Strikes and Nationalist Alignment

During the Swadeshi Movement (1905–1908), labor strikes moved beyond purely economic demands to integrate political anti-colonial goals. Workers organized major strikes across printing presses, railway workshops, and textile mills in Bengal and Punjab.

Key Early Strikes and Associations

• Printers’ Union (1905): Established in Calcutta following a major strike by government press workers.
• Social Service League (1911): Formed by N.M. Joshi in Bombay to promote welfare activities among industrial laborers.
• Lokmanya Tilak’s Arrest Strike (1908): Following Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s conviction for sedition, textile workers in Bombay staged a historic six-day political strike, corresponding to his six-year prison sentence.
• Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association (1918): Founded by Mahatma Gandhi, Anasuya Sarabhai, and Shankarlal Banker following the 1918 Ahmedabad mill strike. It was built on the principle of trusteeship and non-violent arbitration.

Rise of Central Trade Union Organizations

World War I, the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the formation of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1919 transformed the Indian trade union movement into an organized national force.

All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)

Founded on October 31, 1920, in Bombay, AITUC served as the first central trade union federation in India. It represented Indian workers at the ILO and coordinated industrial struggles across provinces.

• Inaugural Leaders: Lala Lajpat Rai presided over the inaugural session, Dewan Chaman Lall acted as the first General Secretary, and Joseph Baptista served as a co-founder.
• Prominent Presidents: C.R. Das, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Sarojini Naidu presided over subsequent annual sessions of AITUC.

Key Trade Union Federations and Ideologies

Ideological Split, Strikes, and Colonial Restraints

The 1920s saw communist trade unionists gain influence over industrial labor centers, leading to major industrial action and subsequent colonial crackdowns.

Radical Strikes and Ideological Factionalism

• Girni Kamgar Union (1928): Led a massive six-month strike of textile workers in Bombay, bringing communist leaders to the forefront of trade union politics.
• First AITUC Split (Nagpur, 1929): Occurred under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru over issues of boycotting the Royal Commission on Labour and affiliating with international communist organizations. Moderate leaders led by N.M. Joshi and V.V. Giri broke away to form the Indian Trades Union Federation.
• Second AITUC Split (1931): Communist leaders split from AITUC at the Calcutta session to form the Red Trade Union Congress (RTUC). Trade union unity was restored by 1938, reuniting these factions under AITUC.

Colonial Legislative Control and Legal Actions

• Trade Unions Act (1926): Provided legal recognition to registered trade unions and granted immunity to union officers from civil and criminal liability for legitimate trade union activities.
• Trade Disputes Act (1929): Required appointment of Courts of Inquiry and Conciliation Boards for labor disputes, made strikes in public utility services illegal without a 14-day notice, and banned general or sympathetic strikes.
• Royal Commission on Labour (1929): Chaired by J.H. Whitley (Whitley Commission), it examined working conditions in Indian factories and plantations, recommending health, safety, and wage reforms.

Labor Policies Under Congress Ministries and WWII

The victory of the Indian National Congress in the 1937 provincial elections opened avenues for labor legislation across provinces. Congress ministries set up inquiry committees in Bombay, Kanpur, Bihar, and C.P.-Berar to review wages and working conditions.

Provincial Laws and World War II Shifts

• Bombay Industrial Disputes Act (1938): Passed by the Congress ministry in Bombay to enforce compulsory arbitration before strikes, facing opposition from left-wing union leaders.
• World War II Position: The outbreak of World War II divided the labor movement. M.N. Roy’s Indian Federation of Labour supported the British war effort against fascism, whereas AITUC opposed the war effort until Germany attacked Soviet Russia in 1941.

Facts for Competitive Exams

N.M. Lokhande held the post of President of the Bombay Millhands Association and was appointed to the Factory Commission of 1884 by the colonial government. On May 1, 1923, Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar organized India’s first May Day celebration on the beach opposite the High Court in Madras. He founded the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on the same day, flying the red flag for the first time in India. The Trade Disputes Act of 1929 introduced the concept of public utility services, which covered railways, postal services, water supply, and public health systems. The Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929–1933) targeted 31 prominent labor leaders, including British trade unionists Philip Spratt, Benjamin Bradley, and Lester Hutchinson. The trial focused on communist involvement in trade union strikes. In May 1947, months before independence, nationalist leaders led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Gulzarilal Nanda founded the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) to align labor activities with post-independence national reconstruction.