2017-06-05 Mon

Today the social activist and leader of the Indian Trade Union, Narayan Malhar Joshi was born at Goregaon in the Kolaba district (in today’s Raigad Zilla) Maharashtra in 1879. He completed his education in Deccan College Pune. His zeal for public work led him to join the Servants of India Society in 1909.

Gradually he started taking interest in labour problems and started a number of welfare centres, night schools, medical centres and industrial classes in labour areas.He also established an organisation in 1911 called the Social Service League and associated with its working till 1955. This organisation conducted training programmes for volunteers. These volunteers' were subjected to utilise their work for people suffering from famines, epidemics, flood, etc.

He was the key member behind various enactments for labour welfares like;

a) Successive amendments of the Factory Act of 1881.

b) Workmen's Compensation Act (1924).

c) Indian Trade Union Act (1926).

d) Payment of Wages Act (1938).

He represented Indian labour of behalf Government of India at the first International Labour Conference at Washington in 1919. He was also the member of Royal Commission on Indian Labour. He frequently represented Indian labour at International Labour Organisation Conferences.

Later on N.M.Joshi and Lala Lajpat Rai started All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) in 1921. Joshi also became the general secretary of AITUC from 1925 to 1929 and 1940 to 1948. Joshi left AITUC in 1931 and started All India Trade Union Federation. He is also considered as one of the Pioneers in Modern Indian Social Work.

N.M.Joshi was a creative writer and journalist. He managed the Dnyanaprakash, the Marathi daily of the Servant of Indian Society. In 1921 he started a Marathi weekly, the Kamagar Samachar.

To celebrate and respect the achievement and life of this father of Trade Union movement in India Indian Post and Telegraphy Department had issued a commemorative stamp in 1980.