A century after legal recognition, workers still lack real protection, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• In 1918, B.P. Wadia founded the Madras Labour Union, India's first trade union.
• The Trade Union Act of 1926 granted Indian workers legal recognition and rights.
• In 2020, the Industrial Relations Code was passed, consolidating existing labour laws.
• The new code requires unions to demonstrate 51% support among workers for recognition.
• Platform workers are not mentioned in the Industrial Relations Code 2020.
• In March 2024, unions forced Zomato to reverse a discriminatory policy.
• The Fairwork India Report 2024 found that no major platforms in India recognized trade unions.

Detailed Insights:

• The 1926 Trade Union Act emerged after sustained pressure from the labour movement and nationalist leaders, aiming to protect unions from civil suits and criminal laws.
• The Industrial Relations Code 2020, which came into force on November 21, 2025, preserves the immunity provisions of the 1926 Act but introduces stricter conditions for union recognition.
• The requirement for a negotiating union to demonstrate 51% support is challenging in industries with high turnover and casual labor, hindering worker protection.
• The code mandates a 60-day notice period before a strike, making sustained action difficult and allowing employers to prolong procedural suspensions.
• The absence of any mention of gig and platform workers in the Industrial Relations Code 2020 leaves a significant portion of the workforce without legal protection.
• Despite these challenges, workers continue to organize, as seen in the actions of unions like the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union.
• Some states have passed social security laws for platform workers, but these may undermine the need for collective bargaining.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Trade Union: An organization of workers formed to protect their rights and interests.
• Collective Bargaining: Negotiation between employers and employees to determine terms of employment.
• Labour Flexibility: The degree to which employers can adjust their workforce size and labor costs.