History
Founding of the Indian Trade Union Congress (INTUC) on May 3, 1947, was historical imperative, necessitated by forced ideologically opposed to peaceful change and democratic means, who had maneuvered to get a hold on the Country's Trade Union Movement with the connivance of the then British Rulers. At a time when the nation was poised to attain independence, the Trade Union Movement was getting on a path of confrontation and wanton destruction to the detriment of the workers and the nation. The imperative need for a new body with its roots in the Indian soil and lead working class towards the realization of the long suppressed aspirations was keenly felt as never before by a very large section in the Trade Union Movement, drawing inspiration from Gandhi's ideas and thus was born the INTUC on the foundations of the Gandhian tenants of the Trade Union movement. The constitution of INTUC was adopted in the
second day's proceedings of the conference; Mahatma Gandhi who was then in Delhi also blessed the new found trade union centre. Among the Congress stalwarts who made this conference a historical evolution are Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, G Ramanujam, Jagjivan Ram, Aruna Asaf Ali, S K Patil alongwith Gulzari Lal Nanda, Hariharnath Sastry, S P Sen, G D Ambedkar and many other prominent labour leaders.

In the words of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, "The workers in India are only a section of the people and not a class apart. The culture and their tradition form part of the common heritage of the people of India. In organizing them and seeking the redressal of their grievances, ways and means have to be evolved in consonance with our condition. No more grafting or transplantation of a foreign ideology or method however suited to the condition else where, is likely to yield healthy results here. What is required is an indigenous movement having its roots in the Indian and soil. Such a movement has for long been in existence and has attained a remarkable center. A new organization, that would give the correct lead to the working class and strives to established social justice, peace and security with a constitution and working. Which would be essentially democratic giving every one of its constituent units ample scope for free expression of views and action has become imperative."
Addressing the Conference, Acharya JB Kripalani, the President of Indian National Congress opined that " The proposed organization should not hesitate to employe the weapon of strike, if it were essential to promote the true interest of labour. But that weapon is to be employed only after due consideration and with aim was to achieve any legitimate economic and social objective. But it would however , not only be misuse of this weapon but doing actual harm to labour's own interests if it were to be employes for the attainment of sectional political ends. If labour were to submit its organized strength to such exploitation. It would become a mere tool in the hands of unscrupulous party politicians.

The following resolution moved by Dr. Suresh Chandra Bannerjee was passed with all participants standing in one voice : "Whereas the course of the labour movement in the country is taking under the leadership of those who are opposed to peaceful change and democratic methods has provide extremely detrimental to the growth of strong and healthy trade unionism and is doing incalculable harm to the true interest of the masses of the country and whereas it has become a scared and imperative obligation of those who are for the well-being of the working class to take concerted action to safeguard and promote its interest, it is resolved that to give effect to this purpose, an organization – called the INDIAN NATIONAL TRDE UNION CONGRESS be formed."

The existence of INTUC has thus become a historical evolution. It has been the brain child of Congress Stalwarts and prominent labour leaders. Even today, 63 years after its birth, INTUC remains and will continue to remain forever a frontal organization of Indian National Congress, the only National Party in the country which belongs to every Indian, irrespective of color, creed, caste, religion, region, sex, age.