Several central trade unions on Friday protested the previous day’s Supreme Court observation that attributed industrial stagnation to “aggressive trade unionism”, and said the statement was not supported by facts.
CPI labour arm Aituc, CPM-backed Citu and another Left-supported labour organisation, the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), issued separate statements questioning the observations that the court had made while rejecting a petition for a minimum wage for domestic workers.
“All traditional industries in the country have been closed down because of these jhanda trade unions,” Chief Justice Surya Kant, at the head of a bench that included Justice Joymalya Bagchi, had said.
“They don’t want to work. These trade unions are largely responsible for stopping industrial growth in the country.”
A statement from Aituc general secretary Amarjeet Kaur demanded the apex court withdraw the remark, which “starkly exposes the class character in judicial reasoning that is detrimental to the ideals of socialist democracy enshrined in the Constitution”.
It said trade unions were constitutionally recognised democratic institutions that safeguarded worker dignity, livelihood and rights.
“The right to form associations and unions is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(c), and collective bargaining is an internationally recognised labour right,” the statement said.
“To portray trade union activity as a cause of industrial stagnation is to… ignore the destructive consequences of pro-corporate policies resulting in unchecked corporate concentration.”
Aituc also questioned the court’s refusal to entertain the plea seeking minimum wages for domestic workers.
The controversy comes at a time most trade unions have called for a general strike on February 12 against the implementation of four “anti-worker” Labour Codes.
A statement from Citu general secretary Elamaram Kareem said the comment against trade unions, “particularly from the custodian of the Constitution, undermines the fundamental constitutional right to association”.
“The insinuating remark that trade union leaders are largely responsible for stopping industrial growth in the country can in no way be substantiated by facts....”
The statement cited Labour Bureau data to suggest a sharp fall in industrial disputes, from a yearly average of 354 between 2006 and 2014 to an average of 76 between 2015 and 2023. It said industrial closures were higher in states with weak trade union movements.