Abstract

A comprehensive decrease has been seen in trade unionism in the 21st century, with their power further decaying due to technological advancement, globalization, and a changeable dice of economic policies. The present research paper offers a comparative analysis between the all-India bank strikes of 2022 and the long-ago historical textile mill strikes, from which it is hoped to examine the changing scenario of labor movements in India. In this analysis, the article aims at detailing the lesser power of unionism, the new demand orientations by workers, and new responses of employers and government to labor unrest. This study investigates the socioeconomic, political, and technical factors that have contributed to the decline of labor unions. In the paper, it is argued that privatization, digital automation, government intervention, and corporate resistance have eroded collective bargaining power this century. It is further posited that evolving worker priorities, which now put job security ahead of radical demands, have also changed the course of labor struggles. The comparative analysis shows that, if class struggle was a serious reason for past strikes, then contemporary movements are caught up in fragmentation, legal predicaments, and dwindling mass mobilization. Thus, the paper concludes with a reappraisal of labor unions and with possible answers and recommendations regarding their revival in a rapidly changing environment.

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