Several independent trade unions in the organised and unorganised sector came together under the banner of the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) in the year 2001.
After extensive deliberation, NTUI decided to constitute itself formally into a federation and seek the status of a national trade union federation. This was the context for the Founding Conference of the NTUI, held on 5th & 6th March 2006 in New Delhi.
The Conference was the occasion to debate on, and adopt the Constitution of NTUI. It was also a forum for the major left and democratic trade union federations from India and across the world to debate on issues vital to the trade union movement, and to working class politics.
NTUI has since been steadily developing its base, and made some significant progress towards accomplishing its goals of building a more effective trade union federation to meet the challenges of the offensive against the working class, under capitalist globalisation; and forming an organization that gives space for the co-existence of multiple progressive political tendencies.