The history of the labour movement in Karnataka is an epic narrative of a fragmented region’s journey toward a unified class consciousness, a journey in which the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) served as the primary architect. Long before the state’s unification in 1956, the struggle was divided across five distinct administrative territories: the Mysore State, Bombay Province, Madras Province, Hyderabad-Karnataka, and the State of Kodagu. Because of this geographical and political division, early labour activities were often localized and influenced by the leadership of neighboring political hubs like Bombay and Hyderabad. However, the establishment of AITUC in 1920 provided a platform where Congress and Communist leaders initially collaborated to lay the foundations of the movement.