The Trade Union is a continuous association of the wage earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their working. Political motivations and the ideologies influenced the Indian trades union movement and were in turn influenced by its increased strength. The twin aspects of the Indian Trade Union Movement -labors organization for industrial bargaining and its ideological orientation were analyzed with the political color. The aspects of the Trade Unions were viewed in the wider background of the nationalists struggle against Imperialism.

However the first ever demand for the s regulations of the workings conditions of the workers in the Indians factories came from the Lancashire textile capitalist lobby. They apprehended that the emergence of a competitive rival in the Indian textile industry under favorable conditions would deteriorate their position. Hence they demanded the appointment of a commission for an investigation into the factory condition and also to the working condition of the labors. The first commission was appointed in the year 1875, although the First Factory Act was not passed before1881. The Act prohibited the employment of the s children under the age of 7. The Act also limited the working hours of the children below the age of 12 years. Similar circumstances resulted in the enactment of the factory acts for the jute industry in 1909 and 1911.

For the first time in India the Bombay Mill Hands Association was formed on 24 April 1890. This gave impetus to the trade union movement in British India. The establishment of ILO in 1919 provided a source of inspiration for the workers to become politically conscious. India`s membership of the same exerted great influence in the formation of a central organization of workers called `All India Trade Union Congress` (AITUC) in 1920 for the purpose of conducting and coordinating the activities of the labor organizations.

The period from 1924 to 1935 may be considered as the era of revolutionary trade union movement. MN Roy, Muzaffer Ahmed, S.A Dange and Shawkat Osmani led the trade union movements and as a result the political consciousness among industrial workers increased. The First World War and its consequences brought a period of soaring prices, unprecedented exploitation for the industrialists but miserably low wages for the workers. The emergence of Mahatma Gandhi led to the growth of non-violent trend of nationalist struggle. Also the non- violent trend of movement could not mobilize the workers and the peasants for the national cause. The contemporary socio political condition was grave to constitute a national Trade union and drawn into the current of the independence struggle. At the same time the October revolutions in Russia and the formation of the Comintern accentuated the labors uprising against the capitalist class throughout the world. The worker class throughout the world awaked to organize a Proletarian Revolution. The setting up of a League of Nation`s Agency (ILO) gave an international color to the labor problem.

The nationalist leaders took the initiative of forming the Trade union as a national body. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) came into existence on 31st October 1920. Lala Lajpat Rai was elected as the President of the AITUC. The s national leaders were closely associated with the Trade union congress. The celebrated nationalist leaders like C.R. Dass, V.V. Giri and later on Sarojini Naidu, J.L Nehru etc presided over the annual sessions of the All India Trade union Congress

(AITUC). By 1927, the number of trade union Congress affiliated to the AITUC increased to 57. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was influenced by the social democratic ideas of the British Labor Party. The All India Trade union congress though developed with the socialist democratic ideals yet it was largely under the influence of the

moderates. The moderates strongly believed that the political activities of the labor organizations should not go beyond agitation for the demand and grievances. The non-violent policies of Mahatma Gandhi upholding trusteeship and class collaboration had enormous influence on the Trade Union movement in India. Under the moderate leaders the Trade Union Congress could only adopt strike as a rare weapon. The Trade Union Act of 1926 recognized the trade unions as the legal

associations, laid down the conditions for registration and regulation of the trade union activities, secured theirs immunity both civil and criminal, from prosecution for legitimate activities. But the Trade Unions Act of 1926 put several restrictions on their political activities.

The emergence of the communist movement in India in the 1920s lent a militant and revolutionary content to the Trade union Movement. The 4th congress of the Communist international sent a message to the AITUC demanding an ultimate goal instead of a fair day`s wages for a fair day`s work. The ultimate aim of the AITUC was the demolition of the capitalism and imperialism. Further the Indian communists were urged to organize the Trade union Movement on a class basis. During

1926-27the AITUC was divided into two groups called the reforming and the revolutionary groups. The Communist thinking seemed to carry greater influence in the formation and the working of the AITUC. The strikes became the principal weapon of the trade Unionists. They published their own journal Kranti, which became the instrument to propagate the ideals and principle of the Trade union. The motto of the Kranti was to overthrow capitalism. The Trade unionists strongly believed that until the capitalists were completely overthrown the proletariat would be deprived from the privileges. The strikes called by the Trade unionists were inspired more by the political ideas rather than the immediate economic demands. The AITUC later was affiliated to the Pan Pacific secretariat and to the Third International at Moscow. To protest the Communist supremacy in the International level, the moderates under the leadership of Joshi withdrew from AITUC and formed the All India Trade Union Federation.

Alarmed at the increasing strength of the Trades Union Movement under the control of the Extremists, the government of India considered it as a threat to their suzerainty in India. Hence it decided to put restrictions by issuing several legislative actions. A Public Safety Bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly in the year 1928 but it did not get the majority support. Later under the circumstantial pressure the Bill had to be issued in the form of the Ordinance in 1929. The Trade Disputes Act in 1929, provided for compulsory appointment of the Courts of Enquiry and Conciliation Boards for settling industrial Disputes. It also announced that the strikes were illegal in public utility and services (like the Postal services, Railways, Water and the Electric Departments). The Act also provided that each individual worker planning participate in the strike should gave an advance notice of one month to the Administration and above all the Act announced that the Trade union should forbid political activities. However the Trade Union Movement in India witnessed a rapid success.