We, the members of the NAAWU, in recognition of the vital role that agriculture plays in our nation's economy, food security, and cultural heritage, and in pursuit of justice, dignity, and prosperity for the hardworking population who toil in the fields, forests, and farms across the Indian states, do hereby establish NAAWU and declare our shared commitment to the principles, goals and objectives.

In witness whereof, we, the members of the NAAWU, do hereby adopt this preamble as a solemn declaration of our shared vision and commitment to the welfare and progress of agricultural workers and the agricultural sector in India.

Land, forests, and water are the main source for livelihood, income, food security, future, identity and culture of the rural people. Agriculture allied workers’, small and marginal farmers with traditional knowledge and skills contribute significantly to the agrarian product – even though they barely survive at subsistence levels. Far from being a drain on the national economy, ploughed back to rural informal workers as subsidies are only a insignificant percentage of the surplus appropriated from them. The flow is in fact reverse, that is from the subalterns to the privileged.

Agriculture allied workers being more than 50% of the total labour force in the country, don’t have a registered national union to represent exclusively agricultural workers issues to the Government at the national level. Most of the central trade unions in the country claim to have membership from agriculture workers but hardly find any campaigns/ struggles/discussions on the issues of agriculture allied workers. While the state-level unions (like APVVU, TVVU & KVVU) can’t represent at national level, the central government doesn’t recognise the voices of these workers because it is not a national body. On the other hand, the issues at state and national level are very much interlinked which has to be addressed both at state and national level. Therefore, National Alliance of Agriculture allied Workers Union - NAAWU has emerged to grow as a national body to visualise and address the issues of agriculture allied workers at national level.  

1.  Upholding the Rights of Agricultural Workers: We acknowledge that agricultural workers are the backbone of our nation's agricultural sector. We affirm their inherent rights to fair wages, equal wages, safe working conditions, and social and economic security. We pledge to tirelessly advocate for the protection and advancement of their rights. 

2.  Ensuring Food Sovereignty and Sustainability: Recognizing that agriculture is at the heart of India's food security, we are dedicated to the positive impact on sustainable and responsible farming practices. We stand for the preservation and protection of our environment and the judicious use of natural resources to ensure a thriving and ecologically sound future for all by organizing small/marginal farmers and agricultural workers to collectively engage in the struggles against the globalization of agriculture and stop the penetration of corporate sector into agriculture.  

3. Fostering Unity and Solidarity: We believe that unity is our strength. We encourage to engage in the struggles and join hands with agricultural workers, farmers, state unions, membership based CSOs against the dumping policies. Collaborate with the government to extend solidarity with the victims of Human Rights Violations-attacks in the name of caste, creed, religion, and region. Together, we shall strive for a more just and equitable society.

4.  Advocating for Policy Reform: We commit ourselves to rigorous take-up advocacy, lobbying, and mass actions to influence government policies and legislation to energize, inform and spearhead the struggles of its constituency for land reforms, equal and living wages, the release of bonded and child labour, providing equal opportunity for women, Dalit and Adivasi to get their due share from the national economy. Hence, the betterment of agricultural allied workers sector as a whole, we shall engage constructively to seek legal remedies by approaching courts, policymakers, statutory commissions, and authorities on behalf of its members. This encompasses activities aimed at influencing government policies, advocating for agriculture allied workers rights, and promoting sustainable and equitable agriculture. 

5.  Empowering Agricultural Communities: We aim to empower agricultural communities through education, skill development meetings, and cultural activities to get them aware of the existing rights and to safeguard it from violations and muzzling pseudo-democratic and democratic fundamentalist/fascist forces by access essential services that the government offers.

6. Championing Social and Economic Justice: We champion the cause of social and economic justice, working tirelessly to eradicate poverty, inequality, and discrimination within the agricultural allied sector and society at large to strengthen institutions of governance and public accountability.

7.  Commitment to Democracy and Transparency: We adhere to democratic principles within our union, ensuring transparency, accountability and creating an environment where members feel empowered, informed, and engaged in shaping the union's future and advocating for the rights and well-being of agricultural workers with fairness in all our endeavours. We respect the voice of every member and value diverse perspectives as we believe in the power of collective action.  

• To function as a non-party, non-religious, non-caste and non-communal apex federation of trade union of agricultural labourers, small/marginal farmers and rural workers/artisans, shepherds, fisher folk, forest workers (Adivasis), rural construction  and mining workers.

• To address workers’ political, economic, social, cultural, development, welfare and legal rights; to ventilate their grievances; to engage in advocacy/lobby; to negotiate with the state - MLAs, MPs and bureaucracy; to seek legal remedies through courts and statutory authorities.

• To energize, inform and spearhead the struggles of all categories of agriculture allied workers and majority being from Dalits and Adivasis, their identity and dignity issues also becomes very much part of the core commitment of NAAWU and its members.

• Agricultural allied workers predominantly, women being the majority, the issues of gender and leadership building proportionate to its membership is one of the primary focus.

• Right to childhood is one of the important concerns of NAAWU to ensure their dignified life linking to the parents’ socio-economic dignity. Implement The Right to Education becomes core value to promote among the children.

• To resist attempts of the state to dilute land reform measures and to direct corporate lead agrarian policies. Struggle to restore the agricultural lands converting into non-agricultural purposes, and stop the corporate land grab and privatizing common property resources for the benefit of few elites.

• For an equity-productivity in the implementation of land reforms; land to the landless/ tiller organizational/institutional capacity development – to enable the rural workers; to optimally develop and manage land/water/forest resources and to promote agro ecology and bio diversity based agriculture to ensure food sovereignty of the agriculture allied workers.

• For ensuring that land, agriculture, livestock, forests, grazing lands, waste land development and value addition schemes address the issues of equity, food, security, participation in decision making on ownership rights and development needs of the people whose livelihood are dependent on them.

• For organizing/supporting struggles for enforcing minimum wages; for developing policies in     support of equal and living wages; for employment protection. 

• To strive for eradication of unemployment; to campaign for 200 days Employment under MGNREGA for every rural worker.

• Organize both locally and nationally to work for the pro-labour legislations viz., Comprehensive Agriculture Workers Act for social security, incorporate agricultural allied workers into Health and Safety code and also, incorporate 5 core demands on NASS into The Social Security Code.

•  For safeguarding their interests when they are victims of caste
  & communal, state and powerful/dominant caste violence; when         they are dispossessed of their assets, customary rights, culture and identity in the name of development.

• To struggle for effective follow up of the constitutional and legal provisions regarding governance through the Panchayat Raj system, abolition of bonded/child labour, universal education, right to work.

• To facilitate the amicable resolution of the non-antagonistic contradictions within the dalit- bahujan; to contribute to the consolidation of dalit-bahujan; and alliances at all levels including electoral politics.

• To take up issues of atrocities, communal violence and human rights violations; to address their underlying causes and their consequences for the victims.

• Aware that more than 50% of the work force in the rural/agrarian economy are women. To promote gender justice and equality; take up issues of violence against/denial of          Rights/exploitation of women; Domestic violence, fight the underlying patriarchal/caste prejudices that fuel them.

• To focus on organizing women workers, developing leadership from among them.

• To extend support to women organisations/movements that champions the cause of gender  equity and women empowerment.

• To internalize within NAAWU gender concerns by  ensuring equal participation/representation of women at all levels.

• To actively work for a brighter future for the children in the rural/agrarian sector, most of them are workers.

• Educate, organize, and build collective struggles and solidarities with the marginalized workers.

• Expose the issues using public hearing, Right to Information, media advocacy as tools to expand to the larger communities and populations.

• Use the national and global important days to mobilize the marginalized to address their issues.

• Promote the Union from class (informal workers), caste (Dalits and marginalized identities) , Gender (balance between men & women and the other genders), environmental (sustainable, agro ecological agriculture)

• Networking and alliance building with likeminded organizations.

• Policy advocacy.

• Conducting public hearings and submitting judgements to the Government.

• Rallies, strikes, and processions

• Negotiations with state (political) and employers.

• The struggle for land reforms resulted 1,83,520 landless women (majority Dalit and Adivasi women) labourers to become farmers of 2,35,600 acres of land growing food crops.

• Promoted women-managed SEED banks with drought-resistant native seeds in 80 villages covering 6,250 acres of chemical-free biodiversity agriculture.

• Women workers were successful in obtaining equal pay in 40% of NAAWU member villages because they contracted their work on a piece-rate basis. For example: harvesting one acre of paddy land is Rs. 3000 which is equally distributed between men and women. Similarly, the cost of harvesting sugarcane is determined by weight basis (cost per ton) rather than daily wages. NAAWU has conducted an action study to understand the payment of wages and cost of living to substantiate their demand to increase their wages by the companies.

• Released 18,570 bonded labourers (forced labourers) from agriculture and brick kilns, then they were rehabilitated by mobilizing agricultural land from the government with the infrastructure to develop sustainable agriculture practices.

• Engaged the Unions to collaborate with other mass organizations for policy advocacy, and implementation of the Right to Information Act, Right to Education, Domestic Violence Act, SC & ST (POA) Act, and Forest Rights Act that have strengthened the membership of NAAWU Unions to assert their rights which also stopped child marriages. 

• Addressed to combat hunger by effectively implementing the Food Security Act, 9 food schemes and 100 days’ employment under MGNREGA collaborating with the government. Presently, NAAWU workers been campaigning for the replacement of family-based MGNREGA employment card with worker based card having 200 days employment. Stopped child labour by motivating men and women to get higher wages in agriculture and utilize 100 days of employment fully. 

• Approximately, 2,00,000 Adivasi and Dalits have been displaced by grabbing 95,612.66 acres of land and 65,000 acres of forest for the construction of the Polavaram Dam in Andhra Pradesh. Unions have challenged the displacement and subsequently the government agreed for comprehensive rehabilitation package which is under implementation.