Full name Hind Mazdoor Sabha Members 3.3 million | Founded 29 December 1948 Affiliation ITUC | |
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Key people Sharad Rao, presidentHarbhajan Sing Siddhu, general secretary | ||
The Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS, a Hindi name with approximate meaning 'Workers Assembly of India') is a national trade union centre in India.
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History
The HMS was founded in Howrah on 29 December 1948, by socialists, Forward Bloc followers and independent unionists. Its founders included Basawon Singh (Sinha), Ashok Mehta, R.S. Ruikar, Maniben Kara, Shibnath Banerjee, R.A. Khedgikar, T.S. Ramanujam, V.S. Mathur, G.G. Mehta. R.S. Ruikar was elected president and Ashok Mehta general secretary. HMS absorbed the Royist Indian Federation of Labour and the socialist Hind Mazdoor Panchayat. In March 1949, HMS claimed to have 380 affiliated unions with a combined membership of 618 802.
Membership
According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, HMS had a membership of 3,342,213 in 2002.(13% of the total trade union membership in the country).
International affiliations
In 1949 HMS became a founding member of the ICFTU. Currently, it is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.