Collective Bargaining And Unionization In The Unorganized Workers: Organization The Unorganized Race
- IJLLR Journal
- Jun 13
- 2 min read
Sangam Kumari, Central University of South Bihar
ABSTRACT
Collective bargaining is a process by which employers attempt to negotiate an agreement with the trade unions rather than dealing with individual workers specifically over employment term and conditions of working. This collective bargaining helps the workers to raise their voice for their needs like proper working condition, salary working hours, safe drinking water etc, from the employers. It provides the surrounding for the negotiate between the employers and the workers or their trade unions.
Collective bargaining and unionization have been recognised as an essential tool for protecting worker’s rights, improving working conditions and also used to ensure social and political justice. However, it’s importance become more significant when it came to developing country like India, where the unorganized workers contribute to the substantial portion of the workforce. These workers are engaged in diverse sectors, which includes construction work, domestic work, agriculture related stuffs, street vending, transportation, and other informal occupations, often without written contracts, social security benefits, job security, or effective legal protection. Their fragmented nature, economic vulnerability, and lack of institutional representation have historically made collective action difficult.
Despite of their immense contribution, these workers have historically remained outside of the ambit of the formal labour legislations and their protections. Their scattered nature of works, insecure employment conditions, lack of social security, and limited awareness of legal rights have made them particularly vulnerable to the exploitation and economic uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed these vulnerabilities, highlighting the urgent need of a comprehensive framework to identify, organize and protect the unorganized workers.
This paper examines the role of collective bargaining and unionization in empowering unorganised workers and analyses the initiatives undertaken by the Government of India to improve the condition of unorganized workers.
