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Past Presidents

Tata Workers' Union Information

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Surendra Nath Haldhar 1920-1924

He was the first president of Jamshedpur Labour Association. His full name was Surendra Nath Haldhar. His first major agreement with management on 20th March 1920.

The main points of the agreement were-

  • 20 to 40% increase in minimum wage.
  • Recognition of Labour Association with some condition.
  • Implement of provident fund law.
  • Work with pay.
  • Implement with gratuity.
  • Implement of service rule and other facilities.

The struggle for democratic industrial relation and against Intensification of labour were central to the history of the labour movement in Chhotanagpur, and had their own political expressions and consequences.

Mr S N Haldhar was a very popular Barrister of Calcutta High Court He was Founder President of Jamshedpur Labour Association. His full name was Surendra Nath Haldhar.

His first major agreement with management on 20th March 1920 included -20 to 40% increase in minimum wage, recognition of Labour Association with some condition, implementation of provident fund, leave with pay payment of gratuity and service rule and other facilities.

C. F. Andrews 1924-1928

Born in New-castle-on Tyne on 12th February, 1871 in England. He grew in childhood in an Atmosphere of prayer and meditation. The impact of church service and the religious life Of his parents helped his passionate devotion to religion, developed from the early days of Childhood. He strongly supported Dadabhai NAoroji,who voiced for the first time India's Claim for Swaraj in 1906.

On 4th April, 1940 he died in Calcutta.

  • 1883 He took first class in classical Trips and obtained a Fellowship in 1889 and came to Cambridge to teach technology.
  • Schooling in 1876 from Andrews King, England Edward.
  • 1904 Andrews came to India as a Christian missionary and joined the staff of St.Stephen's college in Delhi.
  • 1904 At the age of 33 he came to India and collected gathered information about the Indian culture, Social activies, people of different religion and other activities.
  • 1912 Visited Shantinekatan.calcutta and met Rabindra Nath Tagore.His temporary home in India Was Shantinekatan.
  • 1913 After the request from Gopal Chandra Gokhele he visited South Africa where he met with Mahatma Gandhi. he always believe/thought the development of Lab our problem. He visited many Countries and met working people .He was known as Dinabandhu meaning the friend of humble as he has devoted His full life with poor and working people.
  • 1914 He Worked hard for the justice for the working people of India in the following year.
  • 1916 Tea Garden,Chandpur.
  • 1918 Cloth Industry Madras.
  • 1921 He was twice elected as President of the All India Trade Union Congress.
  • 1924 He elected as President Jamshedpur Labour Association.
  • 1924 He was advised to give report about the working people in Jamshedpur after the meeting With the Tisco Board of Director.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 1928-1936

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born on 23rd January, 1887 at Cuttack, Orissa. After Completing graduation from Scottish Church College, he went to England for I C S .In 1921, he resigned from I C S and took active part in freedom Struggle under the leadership of Chitranjan Das. On 20th August,1928, he was elected as a President of Jamshedpur Labour Association. On 12th September 1928 the months long strike ended with the joint agreement with Subhash Chandra Bose and General Manager of Tisco. It was the last strike in the Company. On the request of Netaji, Management started advertising the vacancies of senior positions in the Indian News papers also, thus Indian started getting chance for appointment as Officers in the Company. It was said that Netaji did indenisation of the Company.

  • 25th October, 1924- Arrested and sent to Burma.
  • 16th May 1927 – Sept 1928- Was elected as President of All India Congress.
  • 19th August1928-Involvement in Trade Union, He addressed 10 thousand agitated workers And requested them to maintain discipline and organized for betterment.
  • 20th August-Elected as a President of Jamshedpur Labour Association.
  • 12th September1928- Strike ended with the joint signature with Subash Chandra Bose and General Manager of Tisco Management which was continuing 4 month.
  • 12th September, 1928- He requested the Tisco Management with a letter to giving Employment of Indian origin people instead of foreign employee in Tisco.
  • 8th April, 1929 He was elected president of Tinplate workers Union.
  • 5th July, 1935- Subash requested the Tisco Management to restore the light and water in Jamshedpur Labour Association which was cut down.
  • 22th January 1938- Elected as President of Bharatiya Rastriya Congress in Haripur assembly.
  • 25th September 1939- Elected as Mayor of Calcutta.

Prof. Abdul Bari 1936-1947

Prof Abdul Bari was Born in 1892 in Sahabad of Bihar. He did M.A. from Patna College in 1919, and 1921 worked as a professor in National University Patna where Dr, Rajendra Prasad was the Principal. He took active part in the freedom movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

Prof Abdul Bari was elected Deputy Speaker in the Congress ministry of Bihar in 1936’ He was elected as President of Jamshedpur labour Association and he renamed the Union as Tata Workers’ Union, Jamshedpur, in 1937. He took active part in Quit India Movement. Despite his intense involvement in the freedom movement, he passed away just before India’s independence but he had put in motion a new era of conciliation.

On 28th August 1947- He was shot dead at Khusropur near Futuha Rail Way Station.

  • 1922- He Participated active part in Asarhayjog Andolan under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
  • 1930- He was associated in satyagraha movement in Bhagalpur where Dr.Rajendra Prasad was present.
  • 1932- Abolished the Metal workers union (Associated with Mr.V.V.Giri later become President Of India) and Jamshedpur Labour foundation(associated with Manik-Homi ) and began the Era of Tata Workers Union under the leadership Prof Abdul Bari.
  • 1936- Elecated as a M.L.A
  • 1936- He was elected as President of AICC in Bihar(saran) Regional Congress Meeting.
  • 1936- When the Congress Ministry was formed in Bihar Mr.Ram Dayalu Singh from Muzzafarpur elected Speaker and Prof Abdul Bari was elected Deputy Speaker.
  • 1938 -Elected as President, Prof Bari renamed Jamshedpur labour Associations as for Tata Workers’ Union, Jamshedpur.
  • 1942- He took active part in Quit India Movement.
  • 1946- Last agreement with Tata Steel Management.

  • The salient feature of agreement are:-

    • Every employee will get one Anna every day with his/her Basic grade 0f Rs.140/- as Long the new grade agreement will not done.
    • Implement of Incentive Bonus.
    • Facilities of treatment in Hospital.
    • Housing facilities to be increased.
    • Education facilities.

Michael John 1947-1977

Michael John was born on 29th November 1902. After completing his education in Madras came to JSR and joined Tata Steel in 1922.

He died on 3rd August, 1977.

  • 1923 - He left his service from Tata Steel and joined Tinplate Company of India Ltd.
  • 1928 - Elected as a Gl. Secretary in Tinplate Workers Union.
  • 1930 - Netaji Subash Chandra Bose requested Mr.Michael joined to work in Jamshedpur Lab our Association.
  • 1937 - Labour Association got registration with new name Tata Workers Union where Michael John was elected Gl. Secretary.
  • 1942 - He took active part in Quit India Movement and was imprisoned.
  • 1946 - He was elected Member of Bihar Legislative Council.
  • 1948 - Supervisor & Technician Unit was formed under the leadership of Michael John.
  • 1954 - He attended ILO as a worker delegate.
  • 1956-62 - He was member of Rajya Sabha.
  • 1956 - Two Historical Agreement with Tisco Management &Tata Workers union 1st on 8th January and 2nd on 4th August as known as Tata John Agreement. Salient feature of this agreement are:-Recognition of Tata Workers union, Collective Bargaining system started, Workers Participation in Management, Joint Consultative System started.
  • 1952 - Elected as President of Central INTUC for a term of 3 years.
  • 1965 – NJCS (National Joint Committee of Wage) was formed by Govt. of India and new wage structure system started in Tata Steel under the leadership of Michael John.

Valadi Ganapathy Gopal 1977-1993

Valadi Ganapathy Gopal was born on December 20, 1917 . The son of Ganapathy Iyer, a former Tata Steel employee, Mr. Gopal joined the Steel Company in 1936 in the ministerial cadre after completing his schooling from Mrs. KMPM School. Not long afterwards Abdul Bari, the labour leader, took Mr. Gopal under his wing. Prof. Bari, who headed Tata Workers' Union as its president with Michael John as its General Secretary, perceived in young Gopal qualities that were ideally suited to trade unionism. Mr. Gopal was thus initiated into the union as a Shop Steward in 1937.

As the freedom struggle gained ground, Mr. Gopal joined the 1942 movement. He was imprisoned in Patna Camp Jail for a year during Quit India Movement, a call given by Mahatma Gandhi. After he was released, he devoted himself to trade union activities. He was elected Assistant Secretary in 1943 and later, following the death of Abdul Bari (28 March, 1947), rose to the position of General Secretary in 1947. When Michael John became President, Mr. Gopal resigned from Tata Steel to become full-time Union Official.

Mr. Gopal participated frequently in the ILO Steel Committee since 1949. The ILO rewarded him for his contributions by electing him a permanent member of its governing body and vice-president of its 7th session in 1990. Mr. Gopal was a vice-president of INTUC and President of India National Metal Workers Federation (INMF) since 1980. The Miners international Federation also benefited from his experience by having him as a member of its executive committee for four years. Mr. Gopal participated in the founding conference of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in 1949 in London. A member of the governing body of the National Productivity Council and its vice-chairman since 1986, Mr. Gopal made a significant contribution to this body in India and abroad. His tour of America at the invitation of the American Federation of Labour enriched his experience of the Trade Union Movement. He was a delegate at a seminar sponsored by Asia Productivity Council on Collective Bargaining and Sharing of the Gains of Productivity in Tokyo and Singapore.

He was shot dead in 14th October 1993

  • Attended the ILO Steel Committee in 1949 and 1956.
  • Participated in founding conference of CFTU at Brussels in 1949.
  • Membership of Rajya Sabha, the upper House of the Indian Parliament from 1952-1956.
  • Member of the Legislative Assembly, Bihar from 1957-62.
  • Elected President ,TWU, in 1977 and Vice President of Indian National Metal Worker Federation.
  • Elected Circe President of Indian National trade Union Congress in 1980.
  • Executive Committee Member of Miners International Federation for four years.
  • Represented INTUC in the 9th Asian Regional Conference of ILO at Manila,1980.
  • Elected Member of Governing Body of ILO in March 1989.
  • Awarded Sir Jahangir Gandhi Memorial Medal in 1989 for Industrial Peace and Harmony by XLRI.
  • Awarded 10th Michael John Gold Medal(posthumously) by Tata Workers Union.

Mr. Gopal participant at the deliberation of the National Joint Consultative Committee for the Steel Industry, he was responsible for introducing many measures to improve the lot of steel men. He participated in numerous international conferences and seminars.

S K Benjamin 1993-2002

S K Benjamin was born on January 12, 1928 in Kitadih, Jamshedpur. He has completed M.A. in Philosophy. He was very much active in social services and always fought to protect the weaker section of the society. He came in contact with Prof Abdul Bari and Michael John. Seeing his interest in the Trade Union movement, he was inducted in the Tata Workers Union in 1949. Further he was appointed Inspector in the Union 1952. His honest service and devotion towards the welfare of the working class paid him inspired every one and he was elected as Asstt. Secretary of the Union in 1956.

He worked on this position for 21 years and in 1977 he was elected as Joint Secretary in Tata Workers’ Union. In 1983, he was elected as General Secretary of the Union and since then till 1993 he held this position. In 1993, he was elected as the President of the Union till 2002.

He was the Working President of Indian National Metal Workers Federation and Bihar State INTUC. He was an Executive Committee Member of the Central INTUC. He has also represented Timken Workers Union, Tisco Mazdur Union, Tarapore Workers Union as the President.

He was felicitated with many awards and honours which includes Nagar Ratna by Distric Freedom Fighters’ Association in 1998, Shefield of Honour/Life time Achievement in Trade Union Field-1977 by Ex. Prime Minister-Indra Kumar Gujral during INTUC Golden Jubilee Celebration. He represented Tata Workers Union and Working class in many counties. He was active in the trade union movement through Tata Workers’ Union for more than 53 years.

  • President- Timken Workers Union.
  • Ex-President- Tisco Mazdur Union.
  • Ex.President- Tarapore Workers Union.
  • Awards and Honours-Nagar Ratna by Distric Freedom Fighters' Association in 1998.
  • Shefield of Honour/Life time Achievement in Trade Union Field-1077 by Ex.Prime Minister-Indra Kumar Gujral on INTUC Golden Jubilee Celebration served in TWU for 54 years.
  • Awarded Michael John Memorial Gold medal in 2006.

R R B Singh 2002-2005

R B B Singh was born on June 20, 1947 at Jaipur Village of Rohtas District in Bihar State. After doing his high School, he came to Jamshedpur in 1965 and joined the Company as Trade Apprentice. Further after the completion of the training period he joined Refractories Department in 1967. He was elected as a Committee Member of the Tata Workers ‘Union from his department for the first time in 1973. He was elected Vice President of TWU in 1985, then elected as Dy. President of TWU in 1997 and finally elected as President of Tata Workers Union in 2002.

He was also the President of the Tata Port Workers Union, Paradip and Haldia. He was Working President of Telco Workers Union.

He held the positions of Working President of Jharkhand INTUC. Member of Jharkhand State Congress Working Committee and Permanent Invitee in the National INTUC. He also contributed as the Working President of Indian National Metal Workers Federation and Chairman of Mazdoor Papers Limited.

Mr Singh was also felicitated by Congress President for his outstanding contribution in the field of labour movement. He has represented the working class in many countries of the world.

  • 1965 : Joined Trade Apprentice in Jamshedpur.
  • 1967 : Joined TATA Refractories.
  • 1985 : Elected as Vice President.
  • 1997 : Elected as Dy. President.
  • 2002 : Elected as President.

Raghunath Pandey 2006-2012

Raghunath Pandey was born on July 1, 1955 in Tarari village, Bhojpur district, Bihar. His father was an employee of Security Department of Tata Steel. He completed his education at Jamshedpur and joined the Security department in 1974. He was elected as Committee member of the Union for the first time in 1985. In 1997, He was elected as vice president of TWU and in 2002 he was elected by president of TWU. He became president of Tata Workers Union in 2006 and worked as president till 2012.

Mr Pandey has served many Unions as President like Jusco Shramik Union, Steel Workers Welfare Society Employees Union, Co-operative Credit Society Workers Union, Tata Steel Zoological Workers Union, Jamshedpur Press Workers Union, Hospital Workers Union etc. He was also the Chairman of the Mazdoor Papers Limited.

Mr Pandey was also the National Secretary of INTUC and General Secretary of Indian National Metal Workers Federation.

He has also represented the Union in many countries of the World.







P. N. Singh 2012-2015

Mr P. N. Singh was born on 12th September, 1953 in Jawas village of Lakhisaray district of Bihar. Mr P N Singh completed his Intermediate degree from Patna University, B Sc (Hons) and M Sc (Chemistry) from T N B Collage, Bhagalpur and LLB from Ranchi University.

Mr P N Singh joined Tata Steel in 1974 as Operative Trainee. Mr Singh was always interested in helping employees. He showed his interest in Trade Union activities and was elected Union Committee member of Supervisory and Technician Unit of Tata Workers’ Union for the first time in 1984 from his department LD-1.

In 1989, he was elected as Asstt. Secretary, Joint Secretary in 2002, and Hony Secretary in 2006 (All for Sup. and Tech Unit of Tata Workers’ Union). He was also the General Secretary of Tisco Tech Probationers Association.

In 2012, the Sup. and Tech unit as merged and Mr P N Singh was elected as the President of Tata Workers’ Union. He has also held many important position in different organisations and represented workers in many countries.





R Ravi Prasad 2015-2018

Mr R Ravi Prasad, born on 3rd January, 1961, is the eleventh President of Tata Workers Union. His father Late R S Narayan was an employee of the Company and following the foot prints of his father he also joined the Company on 18th December, 1985. He did his schooling in Jamshedpur and Graduated from Ranchi University.

Mr Ravi Prasad was elected as Executive Committee Member of the Union for the first time in 1997 and he has retained the position till now. His sincerity, hard work and honesty enabled him to be elected as the treasurer of the Union and later on he was elected President of the Union in 2015 and again in 2018.

Mr Ravi Prasad is also the Secretary of Central INTUC, India and Vice President, INTUC, Jharkhand. He is the Working President of Indian National Metal Workers’ Federation.

Mr Ravi Prasad will be completing 35 glorious years in the Company and has served Tata Workers Union for more than 24 years. He is very soft spoken with a tremendous helping attitude.

He also holds the position as President of the following Unions:

  • Steel Workers’ Welfare Society Employees Union.
  • Hospital Workers Union.
  • Homeopathy Society Workers’ Union.
  • Co-Operative Credit Society Workers Union.
  • Jamshedpur Press Workers’ Union.
  • JCAPCPL Workers’ Union.
  • GORC, TDRC Workers’ Union.

Mr Ravi Prasad is also the Chairman on the Board of Mazdur Papers Limited.