Trade unions in India are registered and file annual returns under the Trade Union Act (1926). Statistics on trade unions are collected annually by the Labour Bureau of the Ministry of Labour, Government of India. As per the latest data, released for 2012, there were 16,154 trade unions which had a combined membership of 9.18 million. The trade union movement in India is largely divided along political lines and follows a pre-Independence pattern of overlapping interactions between political parties and unions. The net result of this type of system is debated as it has both advantages and disadvantages. According to the data submitted by various trade unions to the Ministry of Labour and Employment as part of a survey, INTUC with a combined membership of 33.3 million, has emerged as the largest trade union in India as of 2013.
The Indian Statutory Commission, also known as the Simon Commission, was a group of seven members of the British Parliament under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. The commission arrived in the Indian subcontinent in 1928 to study constitutional reform in Britain's largest and most important possession. One of its members was Clement Attlee, who would later become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, generally known as Lala Lajpat Rai. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio. He died of severe head trauma injuries sustained 18 days earlier during a baton charge by police in Lahore, when he led a peaceful protest march against the British Simon Commission Indian constitutional reforms.
Basawon Singh or Basawan Singh also known as Basawon Sinha, was an Indian independence activist and a campaigner for the rights of the underprivileged, industrial labourers and agricultural workers.
Shripad Amrit Dange,, was an Indian politician who was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a stalwart of Indian trade union movement. During the 20th century, Dange was arrested by the authorities for communist and trade union activities and was jailed for an overall period of 13 years.
The Workers and Peasants Party (WPP) (also known as the Kirti Kisan Party) was a political party in India, which worked inside the Indian National Congress in 1925–1929. It became an important front organisation for the Communist Party of India and an influential force in the Bombay labour movement. The party was able to muster some success in making alliances with other left elements inside the Congress Party, amongst them Jawaharlal Nehru. However, as the Communist International entered its 'Third Period' phase, the communists deserted the WPP project. The WPP was wound up, as its leadership was arrested by the British authorities in March 1929.
Philip Spratt was a British writer and intellectual. Initially a communist sent by the British arm of the Communist International (Comintern), based in Moscow, to spread Communism in India, he subsequently became a friend and colleague of M.N. Roy, founder of the Communist parties in Mexico and India, and along with him became a communist activist.
Indian Federation of Labour is a federation of trade unions in India. IFL was founded in 1941 by M.N. Roy, after a split from the All India Trade Union Congress. IFL strongly supported the British war effort. Maniben Kara was a prominent IFL leader in the railways and V.B. Karnik was a prominent IFL leader amongst the dock workers.
Joseph "Kaka" Baptista was an Indian politician and activist from Bombay, closely associated with the Lokmanya Tilak and the Home Rule Movement. He was the first president of Indian Home Rule League established in 1916. He was elected as the mayor of Bombay in 1925. He was given the title Kaka that means "uncle".
The All Burma Trade Union Congress was a central trade union organisation in Burma. ABTUC was founded on January 30, 1940. ABTUC had its origins in the All Burma Labour Conference, which had been assembled by the Thakins in July 1939. In August 1940 ABTUC publicly stated the goals of the organisation; racial and gender equality, social welfare, minimum wage, standardisation of working hours, better working conditions and establishing a socialist state with socialisation of production, distribution and exchange. Ba Swe was the main figure behind the ABTUC in its early stage.
The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress (AHTUC) was a trade union centre in the Hyderabad State. Affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress, it claimed a membership of around 72,000. The trade union centre, which was aligned with the Communist Party of India, was one of the organisations that took part in the Telangana Rebellion against the Nizam regime.
Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi, popularly known as "American Gandhi", was an Indian social reformer, political leader and businessman. The Dr. V.B. Gandhi Marg in Mumbai (Bombay) was named in his honour.
Narayan Malhar Joshi was an Indian trade union leader and follower of Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Joshi became involved in labour issues and started the All India Trade Union Congress in 1920 along with Lala Lajpat Rai. He was the general secretary of AITUC from 1925 to 1929 and from 1940 to 1948. In 1931, he left AITUC and started the All India Trade Union Federation.
Swami Kumaranand, born Dvijendra Kumar Naag, was an Indian politician and leader of Communist Party of India. He was a key builder of the communist movement in Rajputana and Madhya Bharat.
Maniben Kara (1905-1979) was an Indian social worker and trade unionist. She was a founder member of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha and served as its president. She was honoured by the Government of India in 1970 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Shibban Lal Saxena was a former Indian politician and freedom fighter. He was son of late Shri Chhotey Lal Saksena and his uncles were late Shri Shyam Sunder Lal Saksena and late Shri Ram Sunder Lal Saksena. He was born on 13 July 1906 to a wealthy Kayastha Family at Agra.
New India was an early 20th century daily newspaper published in India by Annie Besant, to highlight issues related to the Indian freedom struggle.
In 1964, a major split occurred in the Communist Party of India. The split was the culmination of decades of tensions and factional infighting. When India became independent in 1947, differences arose of how to adapt to the new situation. As relations between the Nehru government and the Soviet Union improved, a faction that sought cooperation with the dominant Indian National Congress emerged within CPI. This tendency was led by S.A. Dange, whose role in the party hierarchy became increasingly controversial. When the Sino-Indian War broke out in 1962 Dange's opponents within CPI were jailed, but when they were released they sought to challenge his leadership. In 1964 the party was finally divided into two, with the left faction forming the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The split had a lot of regional variations. It also impacted other organizations, such as trade union and peasant movements. The split has been studied extensively by scholars, who have sought to analyze the various domestic and international factors involved.
On January 8 and 9, 2019, one of the largest general strikes in workers' history took place in India with almost 200 million striking people. Ten Indian union federations had called for the nationwide strike.
Kalyan Roy, also credited as Kalyan Shankar Roy was an Indian politician and a leader of Communist Party of India and also a leader of All India Trade Union Congress. One of the famous trade union leaders of Asansol-Raniganj coalfield area, Kalyan Roy was one of the senior CPI leader and parliamentarian in Rajya Sabha.
