ABSTRACT
Since the start of economic reforms in 1991, Indias trade unions have found themselves increasingly excluded from the political process and marginalized in collective bargaining. Using survey and interview data from the Maharashtra affiliates of two national union federations, this article examines whether social partnership with employers is a viable option for Indian unions to regain influence and protect workers interests, as some analysts have advocated. Its findings indicate that despite Maharashtras supportive regulatory framework, which in theory should facilitate cooperative industrial relations, the realities of workplace employment relations coupled with state indifference and adverse judicial interventions weaken labours prospects for meaningful social partnership.