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History of Trade Unions and the Communist Movement in India (Early 20th Century)

I. Pioneers & Early Trade Unions

• N.M. Lokhande
  • Recognized as the first leader to organize a labour movement in India (19th century).
• B.P. Wadia
  • Founded India’s first modern Trade Union in 1918.
  • It was called the Madras Labour Union.
  • Most members were workers from the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills (textiles) in Madras.
• Mahatma Gandhi
  • Founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association in 1918.

II. All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)

• Establishment:
  • Founded on October 31, 1920, in Bombay.
• Key Founders:
  • Lala Lajpat Rai (First President)
  • N.M. Joshi
  • Joseph Baptista
• Motivation:
  • Formed in response to the creation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1919.
• Major Split:
  • The first major split occurred at the Nagpur Session in 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru.

III. International Labour Organisation (ILO) & Global Engagement

• The ILO was created in 1919.
• At the first ILO summit in Washington (1919):
  • N.M. Joshi was the official representative of Indian labourers.
  • B.P. Wadia attended as an advisor.

IV. Government Acts & Legislation

• Trade Disputes Act of 1929
  • Enacted by the British government.
  • Provided for a system of tribunals to settle disputes.
  • Imposed a ban on strikes in public utility services (e.g., railways, postal, telegraph).

V. The Communist Movement in India

• Founding and Key Figures:
  • M.N. Roy was the first Indian to become a member of the Communist International (Comintern).
  • The Communist Party of India (CPI) was officially formed on October 17, 1920, in Tashkent by M.N. Roy and others.
  • Saumyendra Nath Tagore broke away from the CPI to form the Revolutionary Communist Party of India (RCPI) in 1934.
  • Later, in 1940, M.N. Roy formed the Radical Democratic Party.
• Repression by the British:
  • The Kanpur Conspiracy Case (1924) was filed against communist leaders for conspiring to deprive the British King of his sovereignty.
  • Key Accused: M.N. Roy, Muzaffar Ahmad, S.A. Dange, and Shaukat Usmani.
• Influence on Trade Unions:
  • The period from 1926 to 1939 is identified as the revolutionary phase of the trade union movement, heavily influenced by communist leaders.

Summary of Key Personalities

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