The Indian Trade Unions Act, which provides for the registration of trade unions, was passed in:

The Indian Trade Unions Act was passed in 1926 and came into force in 1927. It provides for the registration of trade unions and defines their rights and liabilities.

Main provisions of the Act:

• Any seven or more members of a trade union can apply for its registration.
• A registered trade union becomes a corporate body, which can own property and enter into contracts.
• Office-bearers and members of a registered trade union are protected from civil and criminal liability for certain actions taken in furtherance of a trade dispute.
• A registered union must maintain a general fund and use it only for specified purposes.
• It may also set up a separate political fund.

Background:

The trade union movement in India began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Madras Labour Union, formed in 1918 by B.P. Wadia, is considered one of the first organised trade unions in India.

The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was founded in 1920, with Lala Lajpat Rai as its first president.

The Buckingham Mill case of 1920, in which a court held the Madras Labour Union liable for damages, showed the need for legal protection for unions.

N.M. Joshi, a labour leader, played a key role in getting the Act passed.

Later changes:

The Act was amended in 2001 to require that a union have at least 10 per cent of the workers or 100 workers, whichever is less, as members for registration.

Labour codes:

The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 has consolidated the Trade Unions Act, 1926, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

Right to form unions:

• Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution guarantees the right to form associations or unions.
• However, the Supreme Court has held that there is no fundamental right to strike.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1920 is the year of the founding of AITUC.
• ✗1947 is the year of the Industrial Disputes Act.
• ✗1951 does not match.