Here we have discussed definition of trade union and its introduction. Trade union is one of the major milestone in Industrial relations. It has been defined by several authors in different ways. Here we will discuss some of the definition and also elaborate the meaning of the same. By giving various definition of trade union and its introduction we tried to make the concept clear.
The concept of trade union stated in Britain during 18th Century
According to Beatrice Webb, ” A trade union is a continuous association of wage earners for the purpose of maintaining and improving the conditions of their working lives.”
As per the Trade Union Act, 1926 it is defined as ” any combination, whether temporary or permanent, formed primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workers and employers or for imposing restrictive conditions on the condition of any trade or business and includes any federation of two or more unions.”
According to De Cenzo & Robbins, ” An organisation of workers acting collectively who seek to protect and promote their mutual interest through collective bargaining.”
If we deeply analyse the above said definitions we can conclude the meaning of Trade Union as follows:
- It is an association either of employers or of independent workers.
- It is more of a permanent formation of workers.
- It is formed with an objective to improve the working condition of the employees.
- It is formed to protect the employees interest in the organisation
- It is formed tor securing certain economic and social Benefit of the members.
This is how trade union becomes an inseparable part of industrial relations mainly to protect the employees and ensure the mutual benefit among the employees and management. Still today the trade union plays a vital role in ensuring the rights of the employees in various organsiation. Now the trade unions are operating at various levels like national level, industry level, state level etc.