Can Contractual Employees Form Unions? Understanding Eligibility and Preconditions in a 500-Employee Company

Dear Sir, with reference to the Trade Union Act, 1926, and the latest Industrial Relations Act, 2020, I would like to inquire whether contractual employees are eligible to form unions. What are the preconditions for the same? The company size is 500 in total, with 50 employees being white-collar and the remaining being contractual. Thank you.

Right to Form Association or Union

The right to form an association or union is a Fundamental Right under Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution of India. Therefore, contract labor, as a distinct class of workmen, has the right to form a trade union under the Trade Unions Act, 1926, which is still in force. It is advisable for the poster to go through the relevant provisions of the Act for further information. However, it is quite odd to note that all the blue-collar employees are contract labor.