WEAKNESSES OF TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN INDIA

WEAKNESSES OF TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN INDIA

Labour movements played an important role during India's struggle for independence. However, these trade union movements had some limitations, which may be described as follows:

(i) Limited membership Trade Unions were estab­lished in limited areas. They were concentrated only in industrial areas, that too in the urban areas and in the organised sectors. They were unknown in rural and unde­veloped areas. Only three per cent of industrial workers were associated with the labour organisations.
(ii) Small size of labour unions Large organisations were required to put pressure on the British government, because the latter had the potential to suppress even larger organisations. But, unfortunately, most of the trade unions in India were small which made them unable to put any significant pressure on the government. Further, these i organisations had restricted area of operation.
(iii) Small funds The absence of big funds was the , greatest weakness of the trade unions during this period. , Members of the unions were poor. The poverty made them' unable to contribute significantly to the funds of their
organisations.
(iv) Escapist attitude of the workers The British rule'
had ruined almost all rural industries, which forced the villagers to migrate to urban centres to make a livelihood. In urban centres, they did not stick to a particular job or establishment. They would leave the job or place very
frequently in favour of a job or place which promised them better wage prospects. Such a tendency of the labour weakened the trade union movement.
(v) Low wages During freedom struggle, there were only a few industries in the country. The employers of these few industries paid very low wages to the workers making their economic condition miserable. The workers were unable to pay even the small membership fee for the trade unions. Hence, they never joined any trade union.
(vi) Job through the contractors During the freedom struggle, the workers would get job through contractors. It was so because the migrated workers were not able to find work on their own. The job contractors used to be the supporters of the factory owners. Hence, the workers employed through the contractors were not able to partici­pate in the labour movement.
(vii) Illiteracy Majority of the workers were illiterate. They were not aware of their rights. They did ~ot even know how much they should be paid for the wq,rk they did. The labour movement could hardly be expected'io pick