New Trade Union Initiative
Several independent trade unions in the organised and unorganised sector came together under the banner of the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) in the year 2001.
After extensive deliberation, NTUI decided to constitute itself formally into a federation and seek the status of a national trade union federation. This was the context for the Founding Conference of the NTUI, held on 5th & 6th March 2006 in New Delhi.
The Conference was the occasion to debate on, and adopt the Constitution of NTUI. It was also a forum for the major left and democratic trade union federations from India and across the world to debate on issues vital to the trade union movement, and to working class politics.
NTUI has since been steadily developing its base, and made some significant progress towards accomplishing its goals of building a more effective trade union federation to meet the challenges of the offensive against the working class, under capitalist globalisation; and forming an organization that gives space for the co-existence of multiple progressive political tendencies.
What We Do
NTUI affiliates from the informal and formal sectors engage with employers and the state on different issues of collective bargaining and regulation of employment. The engagement includes organising workers, issue based struggles, campaigns for legislation on labour rights, education for workplace and organisational democracy and many others.
Important affiliate engagements include struggles around minimum wage legislation and implementation of legislation; organisation in the formal sector and of contract labour; organising rural workers and the NREGA; collective bargaining struggles in the formal and informal sector. Unionising among women workers and issues of trade union organisation for women is an important concern.
Major campaigns at the local and national levels include campaign for Universal Social Security; Right to Association issues; Occupation Health and Safety and Minimum Wage.
Unions also engage in research around issues of concern, and document struggles and campaigns. Research and documentation feed into activist and cadre training.
Alliances
NTUI is committed to build solidarity among working people based on the commonality of interest and tolerance for all beliefs and faiths and strive for ideals of secularism. NTUI also believes in the promotion of organisation of unorganised labour on the basis of the unity of interest at the industrial or sectoral level. It also opposes aggression, promotes peaceful coexistence between countries, and calls for elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. It strives to secure legislation, policies and practices to actualise internationally accepted human and labour rights, eliminate authoritarian and feudal institutions, practices and values and promote labour rights, democratic values, the dignity of labour and equality at the workplace and in society. In doing so, NTUI believes that it is essential to associate with non-union organisations that share the broad aims and objectives of NTUI and contribute effectively to unionisation, collective bargaining, and campaigns. Given this understanding NTUI, since its founding, has been committed to advancing not only its trade union alliances but also building social alliances with social movements and people’s organisations.
NEW TRADE UNION INITIATIVE
B-137, First Floor, Dayanand Colony
Lajpat Nagar - IV
New Delhi - 110024
TELEPHONE +91-11-2621 4538
TELEFAX +91-11-2648 6931
EMAIL secretariat ntui.org.in