Impact of Working- Class Movements in Kanyakumari District

Abstract

The chief feature of the Indian village community was a “harmonious coordination of the specialized functions of its various component groups of workers”. During the second half of the 19th century, the cotton textile jute mills and railways employed thousands of workers. But there were no labour organizations or labour leaders for the welfare of the workers. The Labour leadership mostly consisted of well-intentioned social workers, who were mainly guided by humanitarian considerations. The trade union movement in India as a response to the challenges faced by the working class as a consequence of industrial development. Kanyakumari district has many trade unions and trade union leaders. K.L.S. Santhanam is a glorified leader of a trade union in the Kanyakumari district. He succeeded to empower the workers to bargain for their legitimate rights. To protect the workers from the clutches of the landowners and shop owners, these unions helped a lot for the working-class people of the Kanyakumari district. This union after the establishment could well organize themselves and unite the working-class people at the various community and fought for their well-being. Like INTUC the activities at the CITU in the Kanyakumari district were many. After a long period of struggle conducted by the unions, they had achieved and come up with a good life and got benefits one after another. Many beneficial schemes such as welfare funds, education aid, delivery benefit schemes, pension schemes, marriage aid, diseases aid, dead person fund, family pension, accident fund and higher education fund, etc. have been received by them. The activities of INTUC and CITU made the workers flourishing in richness and remove poverty. Further, the activities of these unions helped the workers to make them equal in work, equal in wages. Because of all these efforts of the union, the standard of living of the workers became very high in society.