China Trade Union： Building a Real ＂Workers’ Home＂ in the Reform

　　　　Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (Reporter Chen Yuming) The China Trade Union will hold its 15th National Congress on the 17th. Today, 30 years ago, another very important congress of trade unions in China-the Ninth National Congress is also in progress.

　　　　It was the Ninth Congress of the Trade Union that brought new opportunities to the China trade union movement, which was completely paralyzed by the catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution, and the trade union work began to recover and develop in an all-round way.

　　　　Over the past 30 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), trade unions have adapted to the new requirements of the development of the times, regarded safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of workers as a sacred duty, and made efforts to build trade unions into a real "home for workers".

　　　　Trade union members range from 50 million to 209 million.

　　　　"By the end of June 2008, the number of grass-roots trade union organizations nationwide had reached 1,702,400, covering 3,556,000 units; The total number of trade union members in China has reached 209 million … "This is the result of the formation of trade unions announced at the press conference of the 15th National Congress of China Trade Unions held recently.

　　　　Thirty years ago, there were only about 300,000 grass-roots trade union organizations in China, and the total number of trade union members in China was only 50 million.

　　　　"The substantial increase in the number of grass-roots organizations and trade union members in the country is by no means a simple change in the concept of numbers." The relevant person in charge of the ACFTU said that in order to effectively play the role of the Party as a bridge between the workers and the masses, trade unions must organize workers into trade unions to the maximum extent and earnestly safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.

　　　　Over the past 30 years, trade unions in China have been forging ahead in the tide of reform, opening up and socialist modernization. From the late 1970s to the 1980s, trade union work gradually resumed development. By the 1990s, with the rapid growth of the non-public sector of the economy, trade unions in China consolidated their traditional positions in state-owned and collective enterprises, and on the other hand, made efforts to expand the territory in the new field of the non-public sector of the economy.

　　　　In the 21st century, trade unions in China clearly put forward that the establishment of trade unions and the development of members should be the top priority of trade union work, and showed the policy of "organizing and earnestly safeguarding rights", and vigorously promoted the establishment of trade unions by new economic organizations and new social organizations, which made the establishment of trade unions achieve great development.

　　　　Today, China trade unions have not only overcome the difficult problem of establishing Wal-Mart’s trade unions, but also achieved remarkable results in exploring the organizational forms and systems of grass-roots trade unions. Various organizational forms, such as market trade unions, project trade unions, building trade unions, and agricultural industrial chain trade unions, have been summarized and popularized, and the "small three-level" organizational network of township (street) trade unions, village (community) trade unions and enterprise trade unions has basically taken shape, and the mechanism for producing the chairmen of grass-roots trade unions has been improved day by day, which has provided a long-term mechanism guarantee for the development and growth of trade unions.

　　　　It is particularly noteworthy that migrant workers, as a new force in the workforce, are increasingly joining trade union organizations. Statistics show that as of June this year, there are 66.746 million migrant workers in the national trade unions, and the development potential is huge.

　　　　A major breakthrough in the formation of trade unions and the development of members has consolidated the party’s class foundation and expanded the party’s mass base. Trade unions in China have become a well-deserved and strong pillar in the construction of state power.

　　　　Effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of employees

　　　　"Organize, earnestly safeguard rights", "worker-oriented, take the initiative to scientifically safeguard rights according to law" … Nowadays, if you walk into the office of any trade union casually, you can always see these words that embody the theoretical innovation achievements of trade union work in China.

　　　　In April 1983, when studying the Outline of the Work Report of the Tenth National Congress of Trade Unions in China and other documents, Secretary the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly stated that "the nature and task of trade unions should be an organization that represents the interests of the working class and works for the working class under the leadership of the party."

　　　　In the 1990s, the rapid development of the non-public sector of the economy has brought about the diversification and complexity of labor relations, and the problem of infringing on the rights and interests of workers has become increasingly prominent. In this context, the first Labor Law of New China was promulgated in July 1994. Article 7 of the law stipulates that "trade unions represent and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers."

　　　　On the basis of summarizing the practice of safeguarding rights for many years, the newly revised Trade Union Law in 2001 clearly stipulates that "safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of employees is the basic duty of trade unions." In the new century, especially since the 14th Congress of China Trade Union, with the deepening of practice, the theory of trade union rights protection has been greatly enriched and developed.

　　　　While the theory of safeguarding rights is constantly innovating and sublimating, trade unions at all levels have achieved increasingly fruitful results in safeguarding rights in practice.

　　　　On the one hand, in order to adapt to the deep adjustment of social and economic structure, trade unions at all levels have strengthened their participation in the source and established and improved a series of rights protection mechanisms. At present, at the macro level, the joint (contact) meeting system between trade unions and the government and the tripartite consultation mechanism of labor relations have been generally established, and the participation of trade unions in legislation and law enforcement supervision is increasing; At the enterprise level, the signing rate of labor contracts and collective contracts has been further improved, the democratic management system of enterprises and institutions with workers’ congresses as the basic form has been widely implemented, and the wage co-determination mechanism, normal wage growth mechanism and payment guarantee mechanism of enterprise employees have been gradually established.

　　　　On the other hand, in view of the fact that some employees have encountered difficulties in the restructuring of state-owned enterprises and the adjustment of industrial structure, trade unions at all levels have increased their assistance to employees in need and the rights of migrant workers on the basis of maintaining stability and promoting harmony. Nowadays, the send warm activity, the assistance center for needy workers and the golden autumn student assistance activity have become trade union work brands with great social influence, and the slogan "Migrant workers have difficulties, so they need to defend their rights and find a trade union" is resounding. Statistics show that at present, 100% of prefecture-level cities and 91% of county-level towns in China have established assistance centers for needy workers, raising a total of 4.2 billion yuan to help 20.902 million people. By the end of 2007, trade unions at all levels in China had helped the government to settle the arrears of wages for migrant workers by a total of 43.32 billion yuan.

　　　　Improve quality and make contributions.

　　　　On May 9th, 2006, China inventor Bao Qifan, who was a worker, shocked the Paris International Invention Exhibition. With the success of winning four gold medals alone, he created a new history of the world’s most authoritative invention exhibition with a history of 105 years.

　　　　In the past 30 years, Bao Qifan has gone from a dock stevedore with only junior high school education to a national expert and professor-level senior engineer who won numerous awards for innovation and invention. He said that his growth benefited from the good times of reform and opening up and the good platform built by the party, the government and trade unions at all levels.

　　　　Bao Qifan is just a microcosm of the tens of thousands of China workers in Qian Qian who grew up under the banner of reform and opening up.

　　　　The process of the intelligentization of the working class in China determines the modernization of China. From the nationwide reading activities of "Revitalizing China" in the 1980s, with more than 11 million employees participating in the reading activities, to the in-depth activities of "establishing learning organizations and striving to be knowledge workers" in the new era, and to the comprehensive promotion of the quality project for employees … China trade unions have always regarded improving the overall quality of the workforce as their long-term strategic task.

　　　　According to statistics, since 2005, trade unions at or above the grass-roots level have commended 37,000 advanced units of learning organizations, 16,700 advanced teams and groups, and 83,000 model workers and advanced individuals.

　　　　It is precisely because of the high-quality workforce that the working class in China can always stand in the forefront of the development of the times and make immortal contributions in the grand project of modernization.

　　　　Focusing on the objectives and tasks of economic construction, it has always been the proper meaning of China trade unions to show the wisdom and strength of the working class through various forms of meritorious activities.

　　　　Since 1983, the ACFTU has jointly issued documents with relevant ministries and commissions almost every year to organize workers to carry out labor competitions with rationalization proposals and technological innovation as the main content. Nowadays, labor competition is still an indispensable part of trade union work, but its form and connotation are richer.

　　　　According to statistics, since 2003 alone, workers’ technical associations at all levels have organized 453,000 technical research and development projects, creating economic benefits of 40.79 billion yuan; 358,300 new technologies were popularized, creating an economic benefit of 75.81 billion yuan.

　　　　"As long as you work hard, you can also be a worker." When this consensus gradually becomes a strong voice of the times, the working class in China will surely make new contributions in the great journey of building a well-off society in an all-round way.

　　　　In the past 30 years, China’s trade unions have been tempered and transformed in the reform and opening up and market economy, and have realized the great rejuvenation of the trade union cause through continuous progress; Today, the trade union in China, which stands at a new historical starting point, will surely lead the working class in China to create new glories.

Editor: Liu Li