Trade union leadership in India

Eulogised as well as maligned, acclaimed by some as the harbinger of a new social order and grudgingly accepted by others as a necessary evil, trade unionism has always been a subject of controversy. Old myths about trade unions as stumbling blocks in the path of economic prosperity have given way to new myths about the rapaciousness of their leaders, exploitation by political adven turists, their lapse from the ideal of 'pure' unionism. Such myths, if indeed they are myths, die hard.

This book makes an attempt to examine empirical reality about trade unions in the contemporary world. The locale is a state in North India, but the conclusions-as the au thor shows-are of a more than local orienta tion. The area of interest is the motivations, ps and attitudes of trade union aged the way in which these inter ada sibur elements in the ader universe of organised and unorganised workers, employers and managements, local, district and state authorities, and others.

The central focus is on the linkages between trade unions and political parties. Are trade unions an integral part of the political process, or merely appendages of political parties, or pressure groups? Are political goals appropriate for trade unions? In examining such questions, the book does not avoid value judgments-though they are unobtrusive and, in any case, within the constraints of an acceptable (if not accepted) social morality.