Archives of Indian Labour

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://dans.nls.ac.in/handle/123456789/3878

ARCHIVES OF INDIAN LABOUR

(copied over from the original)

The Archives of Indian Labour was set up in July, 1998 as a collaborative project of the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute and the Association of Indian Labour Historians. The Archives of Indian Labour is dedicated to the cause of preserving and making accessible the fast depleting documents on the working class with the belief that,

"Archive is to society what memory is to human beings"

The Archives was instituted in order to address the urgent need for preservation of rapidly decaying documents and material on labour and to provide for greater public access to these. It has long been felt that documents and data on Indian labour -now and in the past - are being irretrievably lost. This was primarily due to the neglect and lack of an organised initiative to preserve these documents in India. The Archives of Indian Labour was constituted to overcome this lacuna of adequate documentation of the life and labour of the working class. Its long-term objective is to act as a specialised repository of records and voices of workers, and preserve textual, visual and oral records on labour in India.

The archive, apart from being a repository of sources and documents also builds collections and initiates research in the field of labour history. The collections are generated through projects commissioned especially for the purpose and through institutional documents donated by various organisations. Documents related to the labour movement (generated by workers' organisations, state and business enterprises) are preserved at the archives, in addition to personal narratives, memoirs, video and audio material. The archives combine this effort with an effective public dissemination system of which the offline and on-line access to the digital archives is a major component. Seminars, working papers, film shows, and publications ensure effective ways of disseminating information generated by the archives and other research programmes. The core activities of the archives are, thus:

  • Digital Archiving
  • Research and Collection
  • Public Interface and Dissemination

Some unique features of the Archives are:

  • Full-fledged digital structure: The documents and material on labour related issues are stored and made available in digital form. This is the first fully digital archives in the country and aspires to be the prime repository of labour related records.
  • Integrated Multimedia Storage and Retrieval System: The Archives is enabled to store records and material in different media formats, such as printed material, audio, video and digital forms and provide access to these through an integrated delivery system.
  • Enhanced Public Access: The digital access system installed at the Archives enables fast and meaningful delivery of documents through different access modes, such as offline networked PCs at the Archives, through CDs, and now over the World Wide Web. This enables a far greater access directly to the documents right to the level of page of a document or a tagged audio and video clip than a traditional archival system. A much wider public now can have access to basic information on conditions of labour over time.
  • Integration of historical and contemporary records: The digital archives enables simultaneous access to records of both the historical and contemporary periods. This provides historical depth to contemporary issues and situates historical changes in a contemporary perspective.
  • Focus on Records of the Unorganised sector labour: The archive has through special collections focused on the activities of workers of the unrecorded sector. A large number of interviews of workers and labour activists and documents of the labour movement in the sector have been stored and can be accessed.

You Can Help Us

Archives of Indian Labour preserves any kind of resources on issues related to labour, including:

  • Personal correspondence and biographical material of labour leaders
  • Documents of trade unions
  • Journals and newspapers addressing the labouring poor
  • Pamphlets, leaflets and posters issued by trade unions
  • Relevant papers of employees organisations
  • Relevant documents of business corporations
  • Oral testimonies, personal narratives of participants in labour struggles
  • Photographs, video tapes and films on labour
  • Work songs and other similar material of workers' culture
  • Trial proceedings in courts of law
  • Records of individual and collective labour disputes
  • Papers on international working class bodies
  • Records of the Ministry of Labour, National Commissions on Labour and other Government Agencies

The prospective social partners, in building up the archive, include:

  • Trade Unions
  • Employer's Organisations
  • Documentation Organisations
  • Libraries
  • Government Departments
  • Journalists
  • Research Institutes
  • Individual Researchers
  • NGOs
  • Social Activists

You could help us by contributing valuable data to the Archives of Indian Labour. Please feel free to contact us at:


Archives of Indian Labour
Integrated Labour History Research Programme
V.V.Giri National Labour Institute
Sector 24, NOIDA
Uttar Pradesh, PIN: 201 301
Tele: 91-120-2411469
E-mail: ilhrpnli[at]gmail.com

ASSOCIATION of INDIAN LABOUR HISTORIANS (AILH)

The Association of Indian Labour Historians is a professional body of historians, social scientists and scholars interested in furthering the historical understanding of the conditions of labour and labouring people.

The Association was founded in December 1996. The AILH provides a forum for interaction among scholars through regular meetings, seminars, conferences and publications. A major objective of the Association is to preserve, generate and make accessible documents and materials relating to the history and heritage of the Indian working class.

The Association, through its activities, also aims to revive and disseminate research on Indian labour. These are pursued through collaboration with universities, research institutions and similar bodies and with individuals associated with the labour movement.

Dr. Rana Behal
42 Deshbandhu Society
15 Patparganj
Delhi 110092
Ph-91-11-2721744

Integrated Labour History Research Programme

The Integrated Labour History Research Programme (ILHRP) is a specialised research programme on labour history research, set up in collaboration with the Association of Indian Labour Historians (AILH), a body of professional historians and scholars interested in history of labour. The overall aim of the ILHRP is to initiate, integrate and revive historical research on labour in India and is the first of its kind in the country. The programme has three mutually reinforcing components such as digital archiving of Indian labour; writing labour history of India; and interdisciplinary research. The archive systematically collects and preserves various documents and material concerning the working class in digital form, through collaboration and networking with various stakeholders (such as trade unions, NGOs, governmental departments and business houses). Networking with similar agencies (national and international) involved in digital archiving is also a crucial aspect of the archive. So far, the archive is the country's largest digital repository of labour documents, with more than 15 gigabytes of data on the World Wide Web, for public access. The collections for the archives are generated through commissioning and monitoring research and collection projects on prioritised areas of labour history, which involves negotiation and networking with experts and agencies, both within and outside the country. The programme also organises regular academic discussions, seminars and colloquia on the prioritised areas of labour history. The programme has so far more than 50 completed/ ongoing research and collection projects. Since year 2000, the programme has published 18 working papers and organised around 85 seminars/discussions, including 10 international seminars on labour history.

ILHRP has recently launched a project titled, "History of Dalit Movement and Labour Movement in India". The Project aims to document and research dalit movement in India focusing specially on the movement's interface with labour movement. The project attempts to fill the glaring lacunae in contemporary scholarly and political discourse by researching the sociological and historical intersection between labour and dalit movement. The activities undertaken in the project will trace the emergence, track the turning points and analyze the regional dimensions of both these movements.

International Conferences on Labour History

One of the most significant contributions of the ILHRP has been the 10 major International Conferences on Labour History organised to deliberate on significant themes like 'Towards Global Labour History: New Comparisons', 'Expanding the Frontiers of Labour History', 'Work and Non-Work: Histories in the Long Term', and 'Labour History - A Return to Politics'. These conferences provide an important platform for historians, social scientists and scholars to deliberate upon varied dynamics of labour history, furthering the historical understanding of the conditions on labour and labouring people. Scholars from around 20 countries across the world have been participating in the conferences on Labour History.

Joint Advisory Committee

The programme is continuously advised and monitored by a Joint Advisory Committee, which is constituted of nominees and representatives from both the Institute and the AILH. The current JAC Members of the Programme are:
  • Dr. H. Srinivas
  • Prof. Sumit Sarkar
  • Director General, National Archives of India
  • Dr. Ravi Vasudevan
  • Prof. Madhvan K. Palat
  • Dr. Indu Agnihotri
  • Dr. Prabhu P. Mohapatra
  • Dr. Rana P. Behal
  • Dr. Chitra Joshi
  • Dr. S.K. Sasikumar
Centre Co-ordinator
Dr. S.K. Sasikumar, Senior Fellow

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 104
  • Item
    7A Proceedings of the Act held on 10 August, 1999 - Jivraj Bidi Works
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 1999-08-10) Chandok, A.K.
    Description of order of the High Court of Gujarat in the case of 7-A proceedings of the Act involving SEWA representing 154 bidi workers, the employers of Jivraj Bidi Works and Regional Provident Commissioner.
  • Item
    Letter regarding Provident Fund Not Extended for Beedi Workers in Gujarat
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 2000-01-20) Nanavaty, Reema
    SEWA's General Secretary Ms. Reema Nanavati requests Secretary, Labour Ministry, Govt. of India in a letter to intervene to help bidi workers get provident fund. She writes this letter in reference to Ms. Renana Jhabvala's visit to the officer.
  • Item
    Letter regarding Involvement of SEWA as a party in the Provident Fund case against Kamar Bidi, Patel Bidi and Bhagat Bidi
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 1998-10-26) Shah, Manali
    A letter written to Provident Fund Commissioner by SEWA, claiming the partnership in the P.F.casees against three bidi Companies as the claimants were its members.
  • Item
    Letter regarding Seeking Clarification of PF Case of the Bidi Workers
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 2000-02-09) Shah, Manali
    Letter from SEWA to Central Provident Fund Commissioner for seeking clarification whether the determination of PF was done as per the Minimum Wage Act in a particular case. The union coordinator of SEWA also objected at Regional provident Commissioner calling Home based workers "so called Home based "workers .She pointed out that these workers were employees of the Bidi factory.
  • Item
    Order from Regional Provident Fund Commissioner to M/s. Jivrajbhai Bidi Works regarding Dues Payment
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 1999-12-16) Singh, Pratap
    SEWA got involved into a legal battle with M/S Jivraj Bidi Works on the issue of Minimum Wages for bidi workers, and the provident fund. The issue of Provident Fund was related to that of Minimum Wages The Regional Provident Commissioner started procedure for determination of minimum wages & provident fund due to the bidi workers. Enforcement officers were deputed to ascertain the eligibility of bidi workers for minimum wages and provident fund on that basis. These are document related to one such case between SEWA and M/s. Jivraj Bidi Works, an adjournment order passed by the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, an affidavit filed by the owner of M/s. Jivraj Bidi Works along with the list of workers.
  • Item
    Notice of Postponement of the Hearing in the Case of Inquiry of Mukundbhai & Brothers
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 2004-08-20) Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner, Gujarat
    Notice of postponement of the hearing in the case of inquiry of Mukundbhai & Brothers. The notice was sent by Regional Provident Fund office to SEWA.
  • Item
    Reply Filed by M/s. Jivrajbhai Bidi Works regarding P.F. Dues of the Bidi Workers
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 1999-11-16) Patel Jivrajbhai Bidi Works, Ahmedabad
    The reply to be filed by M/S. Jivraj Bidi Works before Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, on SEWA's application in a case of determination of P.F. dues of the bidi workers.
  • Item
    Tribunal Order passed by the Presiding Officer, Employees Provident Fund Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 1998-02-26) Employees' Provident Fund Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi
    Copy of the Judgment given by the Employees Provident Fund Appellate Tribunal, Delhi sent by SEWA to its members.
  • Item
    Details of Wages of Bidi Workers working for M/s. Patel Jivrajbhai Bidi Works, Ahmedabad
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 1999) Patel Jivrajbhai Bidi Works, Ahmedabad
    List of bidi workers working for M/s. Jivrajbhai Bidi Works, with the details of wages received against the bidi rolled by them. This list was submitted to Provident Fund Commissioner by SEWA in the case against M/s. Jivraj Bidi Works.
  • Item
    Meeting jointly organised by SEWA and Central Provident Fund Commissioner
    (Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), 2001-04-22)
    A meeting was jointly organised by SEWA and central provident fund commissioner to discuss about implementing the provident fund scheme for the bidi workers of Gujarat. This document is in Gujarati language.