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Economic Reforms and Trade Union

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Economic Reforms and Trade Union
Economic reforms and trade unionism in India--a macro view. Publication: Indian Journal of Industrial Relations
Publication Date: 01-JAN-08 | Format: Online
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Liberalisation has exposed the weaknesses of our trade unions and forced them to rethink their policies and programmes. Drawing on several primary and secondary sources of data, this paper primarily focuses on exploring the responses of our unions to the changing industrial scenario. Today our unions are defensive, less militant and more pragmatic about the productivity and efficiency of their organisations. To fight against the bigger enemy and the entire system, they now understand the need for working class unity and expansions beyond the so-called 'citadel' with growing concern for wider issues. All these changes have initiated a new beginning in the history of our working class struggle. Today trade unions can sustain themselves only through a pragmatic approach that compels them to develop wider networks in association with other civil society organisations.

INTRODUCTION

India's economic reforms introduced since the early 1990s have posed serious challenges before the old unions. The New Economic Policy of 1991 was aimed at bringing the Indian economy into the mainstream of the global economy and thereby bringing a culture of competition, private initiative and growth to business. Quite necessarily, the introduction of the new model of 'liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation' (LPG) has opened a veritable Pandora's Box with far reaching implications for labour, their

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