ABSTRACT
Unions are as fragmented as the labour force. The national trade union federations are affiliated to political parties, and statistics are unreliable and hotly disputed. Data published in early 1997 show the position as follows: the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), affiliated to the Communist Party of India (CPI): 938,486 members; the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), affiliated to the Congress Party: 2,692,388; the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) formed by the Socialists: 1,480,963; the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), formed by the rightwing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with the belief that the doctrine of class conflict is alien to the Indian ethos: 3,116,564; the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) formed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist): 1,775,220. There are smaller party-affiliated unions, such as the United Trade Union Congress (UTUC), the Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP), and the All-India Federation of Trade Unions (AIFTU), affiliated to CPI (Marxist-Leninist) splits from the CPI(M).
