Forward Seamen’s Union of India, commonly known as FSUI, was established on 30th May, 1954. Prior to that, seamen were subjected to inhuman torture, victimization and hire and fire by the shipowners. There was no seamen’s employment office. Unemployed youths used to stand in the queue in front of the Marine House in Kolkata for jobs. But gangsters and musclemen everyday used to drive them away braking the queue to push their own people accepting bribes from them. It was a free for all situation. These tortures, created anger and resentment amongst seamen. There was constant desire amongst seamen to lodge protest unitedly. This desire and urge amongst them brought them together to initially form Merchant Navy Trainees’ Club. Soon the seamen realized that without a trade union it would not be possible to combat or counter shipowners’ virulent attack. That was the starting point with the formation of FSUI in 1954 as stated above.
