FIRST TRADE UNION IN INDIA (AITUC)

• All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was founded in 1920 with Lala Lajpat Rai
as its first president. Upto 1945 Congressmen, Socialists, Communists worked
in the AITUC which was the central trade union organisation of workers of India.
Subsequently the trade union movement got split on political lines.
• The membership of the AITUC is 3.6 million. The unions affiliated to AIT
UC are from textile, engineering, coal, steel, road transport, electricity b
oard and of unorganised sector such as beedi, construction and head-load workers
, anganwadi, local bodies and handloom. Recently a number of agriculture workers
' unions have affiliated themselves to AITUC.
• The first session of the AITUC was held under the presidentship of Lala Lajpat R
ai. In his presidential address, he exhorted the workers:
"Indian labour should lose no time to organize itself on a national
scale. Capital is organized on a world-wide basis. It is backed up by financial
and political strength, beyond conception. In order to meet the danger, Indian l
abour will have to join hands with labour outside India also, but its first duty
is to organize itself at home".
"At present, our greatest need is to organize, agitate and educate.
We must organize our workers, make them class-conscious and educate them in the
ways and interests of common weal."

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

• To establish a socialist state in India;
• To socialize and nationalize the means of production, distribution and exchange
as far as possible;
• To ameliorate the economic and social conditions of the working class;
• To watch, promote, safeguard and further the interests, rights and privileges of
the workers in all matters relating to their employment.
• To secure and maintain for the workers :
The freedom of speech
The freedom of press
The freedom of association
The freedom of assembly
The right of strike ; and
The right to work or maintenance

• To co-ordinate the activities of the trade unions affiliated to the AITUC;

• To abolish political or economic advantage based on caste, creed, community, rac
e or religion; to fight against all forms of social oppression and injustice;
• To fight against all forms of atrocities against women and harassment at place o
f work.
 The AITUC shall endeavor to further the aforesaid objects by all legitimate, pe
aceful and democratic methods such as legislation and, in the last resort, by st
rikes and similar other methods, as the AITUC may, from time to time, decide.

DEMANDS
• A statutory enactment providing for a six-hour working day.
• Minimum living wage.
• Right to work as a fundamental right.
• Equal wages for equal work, without racial or sex discrimination.
• One month's leave full pay, or an equivalent amount as compensation when leave i
s not granted.
• Unemployment, sickness, oldage, accident and maternity, insurance, comprehensive
social sequrity scheme to be introduced.
• Pension for widowed mothers, unmarried mothers and dependent children.
• Proper housing.
• Formation, through trade unions, of workers' committees in factories, workshops,
business houses and all other places where collective work is performed, with a
view to control conditions of work inside these places.
• Abolition of the employment of children under 15 years of age.
• Payment of wages to women workers six weeks before and six weeks after child - b
irth.
• Abolition of other systems of recruiting labor such as through contractors, midd
lemen etc.
• Abolition of fines and debts.
• Effective control of the subscribers over the provident funds.
• Worker's participation in Management.
• Protection of environment.