Organising Unorganised Workers

This paper 1 focuses on the problems and prospects of mobilizing workers in the 'unorganised sector' of Indian industry. Till recently, it used to be considered difficult, if not impossible, for trade unions to mobilise workers in the 'unorganised sector' for collective action. The small size of industrial units, intimate and informal work relationships, dispersal of industrial units over, a large area and workers' low level of education were considered to be some of the major obstacles to trade union activity. This view now needs to be revised in the light of numerous reports of successful trade union activities in the bidi (Basu, 1977; Avachat, 1978; Mohandas, 1980), coir (Issac, 1982), and construction (Johri and Pandey, 1972) industries. These reports point to the crucial role played by cadrebased political parties in launching strikes and demonstrations. But now there is a need for undertaking deeper studies to assess the long term viability of such trade union activities and their social implications. It is with this intention that an attempt is made here to grasp the problems and prospects of mobilising workers in the binderies of central Calcutta. To begin with, a few conceptual clarifications are necessary. The pairs of terms, 'organised' and 'unorganised' sector or 'formal' and 'informal' sector, may give a misleading view of the socio-economic structure of industry in India as consisting of autonomous, if not autarkic circuits of economic activities. Following such a view, an inference may be made regarding the qualitative distinctions in regard to labour problems, and hence of trade unions, between the 'organised' and 'unorganised' sectors. It is the contention of this paper that unless the socio-economic linkages that connect the 'unorganised sector' to the 'organised sector' and to the political system are taken into account, it is not possible to appreciate the constraints on trade union activities in the 'unorganised sector'. Further, the nature of the working class can be properly understood only when such interconnections are taken into account

Geography · Political science · Research methodology · Sex workers · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Demography · Indian Economic and Social Development · Labor Movements and Unions