Which one among the following was India's first trade union in the proper sense of the term?
- A.Bombay Labour Union
- B.Ahmedabad Labour Union
- C.Madras Labour Union
- D.Allahabad Labour Union
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Madras Labour Union. Formed in April 1918 by B. P. Wadia among the textile workers of Madras, it is regarded as India's first trade union in the modern, organised sense.
Earlier bodies, such as the Bombay Mill Hands Association set up by N. M. Lokhande in 1890, worked for workers' welfare but lacked a regular membership, rules and subscriptions. The Madras Labour Union, built around the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills, had all of these and bargained for its members. Its legal troubles in a 1920 court case showed that unions needed protection, which came with the Trade Unions Act of 1926. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was founded in 1920, with Lala Lajpat Rai as its first president.
Option A is wrong because Bombay's early bodies were welfare associations, not a proper union first. Option B is wrong because the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association came later, in 1920, under Gandhi's guidance. Option D is wrong because no Allahabad union holds this place.
Exam tip: Madras Labour Union 1918 (B. P. Wadia), AITUC 1920 (Lajpat Rai), Trade Unions Act 1926.
Practice Questions
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