Over the past two-and-a-half decades, capital has achieved an enormous concentration of power — both economic and political. This concentration of power is the basic cause for the progressive breakdown of institutions for democracy, equity and good governance across the world. The trade union struggle at this juncture is, therefore, at a fundamental level, a struggle for greater democracy and equity. It is also a struggle that has to be able to face up to the concentration of the power of capital and its hegemonic influence over the state and political apparatus. This can only be possible if the trade union movement is unified and vibrant and striving constantly to increase its constituency.

The history of Indian trade unionism since independence is one of splits and divisions along the lines of party and politics, splintering the undivided AITUC into a number of competing trade union federations. The lack of cohesion is one fundamental weakness in the trade union struggle against Indian capital and state.

Working class solidarity has been hampered by this multiplicity of trade unions and their association with a spectrum of political parties across the range from the radical Left to the conservative Right. Historically, the trade union movement in India grew from the national movement and so remained a creation of political sectarianism. If this had a positive side — unions had a political perspective and support — it also engendered the negative aspect of political differentiation always leading to union splits. Because of their political affiliations, unions were prevented from vigorously opposing the anti-worker policies of a political establishment that either subscribes to or is unable to credibly stand up to a globalisation ideology. This weakness is more apparent in the programmes of the trade unions affiliated to the federations of the two mainstream political parties, the INTUC and the BMS.

Nearly 40 per cent of trade unions in the country are not affiliated to any of the trade union federations. While some of these unaffiliated unions are ‘management promoted’, a large majority of them are committed trade unions following a vigorous programme of collective bargaining and opposition to capital and the state. Many of them had affiliations at some stage or other of their trade union history, which they dissolved because of fundamental differences with the political agenda of the federations. It is important that these unions are brought into the mainstream of collective opposition of the trade union movement to all anti-worker policies and programmes. The unions also represent the best traditions of democratic questioning and vigorous struggles, so important for the trade union movement to retain its vitality and ability to play a credible opposition role.

This was the context for the formation of the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI).

Organisation of NTUI

NTUI had its unding conference in New Delhi in March 2006. It is in the process of forming a federation of independent trade unions since 2001. Today, NTUI has major affiliates in the formal and informal sectors including agriculture, forests, construction, mining, fishing, domestic work, anganwadi (child care) work and municipal work in the informal sector; and engineering, metal work, pharmaceuticals, garments and public sector in the formal sector of employment. The total strength of its affiliates adds up to more than a million workers. The affiliates come from most of the states of India, including large concentrations in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south; Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa in the west; Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the north; and West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkand in the east.

The broad principles that define NTUI are, first, the independence of trade unions from employers, government and political parties; and second, a fundamental commitment to solidarity in the struggle of the working class against capital. It has been the constant endeavour of NTUI to bring these principles to bear, both in the process of building its organisation, and in the interaction with other trade unions and social organisations.

Relevance to the national trade union movement

NTUI has consistently strived in the past years to strengthen working class unity and solidarity. It brought back to the trade union agenda the discussion on the reunification of trade unions and trade union solidarity. This has been attempted in the past, with the unification agenda between the AITUC and HMS as the most serious attempt in this direction. However, faced with a long defensive struggle, the impetus for trade union solidarity had lost some of its urgency.

NTUI also attempted to further the ambit of unity, by opening up the space for discussions with other social movements. These include the attempt to bring the labour agenda to centre stage at the World Social Forum (WSF); working along with the CPI and NAPM on issues of displacement; exploring links with the autonomous women’s movement and minority social groups on gender and new forms of union organisation; and discussions with organisations engaged with struggles against caste-based oppression.

NTUI was able, in specific areas or in the working class struggle, to bring in new thinking and organising strategies. Some significant instances have been organising around the NREGA, and using it as a strategy for union building in the rural sector; new forms of contract labour organisation and collective bargaining strategies; and bringing to the mainstream new sections of the working class and their concerns – be they issues of workers in Jammu and Kashmir or struggles against Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and displacement. We may recall that in the recent past, even the organised Left has been faced with contradictions on the issue of SEZs in states where they are in power.

NTUI also brought to centre stage the issue of trade union independence. This is an issue that has been debated within the mainstream of the Indian trade union movement. However, given the overarching dominance of political parties, the major national trade union federations have been forced to follow the political thinking of their political parties of affiliation. With the formation of NTUI, the debate on trade union independence has once again gained currency. It has also opened the debate between unions in India and other important independent trade union federations such as CUT in Brazil and COSATU in South Africa. This is an important dialogue to define nationally and internationally the various possibilities before the trade union movement.

Future directions

NTUI visualises an important role for itself in defining trade union growth in the country, both in terms of new directions for unionisation; and determining new forms of trade union struggle. It shall, for this purpose, while informally performing the role, strive for formal recognition as a national trade union federation.

In a situation in which less than 8 per cent of workers are organised, the trade union movement has to learn from other forms of organisation. NTUI sees an immediate relevance in this regard in its attempts to bridge the difference between old and new social movements. It actively looks for ground-level coalitions with various peoples’ organisations, autonomous women’s groups, and democratic and radical advocacy groups on caste and minority issues for breaking new grounds in organising workers.

In the context of the open collaboration between capital and state on the issues of development, democratic rights and labour organisation, NTUI gives primacy to the bringing together of different trade unions on issue-based platforms and struggles. It has, therefore, consistently supported all joint trade union struggles – be they in opposition to the second National Commission on Labour or a General Strike. It has been part of attempts at expanding industry federations, among contract workers, plantation workers, engineering workers in the metal work and automobile sectors and forest workers to name a few. Harking back to the existence of a single trade union, such as the AITUC before independence, NTUI has also given an open call for the unification of all Left and democratic traditions in the trade union movement. It has reaffirmed the principle of working for the trade union unity, and a single trade union organisation – at the factory, company, region and industry levels.