Labour unions in India: Adapting to new challenges amid global changes

India's labour unions are at a crossroads in the age of IT and gig work. They are adapting to new-age sectors' demands but penetration has been limited

A 37-day strike by around 1,400 workers at Samsung Electronics’ manufacturing unit near Chennai has put the spotlight on labour unions in India. Some media outlets framed it as a battle for the very survival of these organisations – over a century after India’s first trade union, the Madras Labour Union, was formed in the same city by B P Wadia in 1918.
 

Although the Samsung dispute was resolved with government intervention, it raises questions about the future of trade unions in a country where liberalisation and globalisation have transformed the workplace. As industries like information technology