The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is the national trade union center and people's organization of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest trade union in the world with 302 million members in 1,713,000 primary trade union organizations.[3] The ACFTU is divided into 31 regional federations and 10 national industrial unions. The ACFTU is the country's sole legally mandated trade union,with which all enterprise-level trade unions must be affiliated. There has been dispute over whether ACFTU is an independent trade union or a trade union at all.[4] The federation owns a higher education institution—the China University of Labor Relations.
The Federation was founded on 1 May 1925[5]:130 when the "Second National Labor Congress" of China convened in Canton with 277 delegates representing 540,000 workers,and adopted the Constitution of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. Between 1922 and 1927,the organization flourished,as did the Chinese Communist Party's control over the trade union movement. The labor movement had grown enormously,particularly in the three industrial and commercial centers of Canton,Hong Kong,and Shanghai,but it also had some organizational success in other cities such as Wuhan.[6] The ACFTU was restricted in 1927 by the newly established rule of the Nationalist regime under Chiang Kai-shek,[2] who had ordered the execution of thousands of CCP cadres and their sympathizers as part of a crackdown on Communism. All Communist Party-led unions were banned and replaced with yellow unions loyal to him (e.g. the "Chinese Federation of Labor," which has since reformed into an independent union).[7]
The ACFTU had the major role in advancing the Labor Contract Law,which came into effect in 2008.[9]:67 The ACFTU drafted the law and proposed it to the National People's Congress.[9]:67
According to a 2011 study during the period of rapid economic growth in China the ACFTU has prioritized the interests of business over the interests of labor and has lost legitimacy in the eyes of many laborers.[10]
In 2018,the 17th National Congress of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.[11] At the congress Union leadership faced pressure to stop acting as a bridge or mediator between workers and management and start acting as a genuine voice of the workers. This pressure arose both internally and was also applied by the CCP.[12]
In 2018,the ACFTU identified platform economy food delivery drivers among its eight priority groups of workers for protection.[13]:162 It increased its skills training,legal assistance,and provided some medical benefits for these workers.[13]:162
On 28 April 2025,the General Assembly commemorating the centenary of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and honoring National Model Workers and Advanced Workers convened at the Great Hall of the People.[14]Li Qiang chaired the congress,with Zhao Leji,Wang Huning,Ding Xuexiang,and Li Xi in attendance,while Cai Qi announced the commendation decision.[15]Xi Jinping,General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party,President of China,and Chairman of the Central Military Commission,attended the conference and articulated that "in embarking on a new journey in a new era,it is imperative to concentrate on the Party's central task,unite the formidable strength of the working class and the masses,remain grounded,advance resolutely,and through perseverance and commitment,progressively transform the ambitious vision for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation into reality." [16]
Organization
As of early 2024,the ACFTU has 300 million members and one million officials,making it the world's largest union.[13]:161
The Communist Party controls the appointment of ACFTU officials at the regional and national levels.[13]:161 ACFTU employees are public servants who must pass the examinations required of public servants.[17]:180
Grassroots level enterprise unions are generally established by local union officials in consultation with enterprise management.[13]:161
Relation to the state
ACFTU membership card
The ACFTU advocates for workers' interests within the CCP and the government.[5]:130 It also seeks to address occupational health and safety issues and carries on industrial policy oversight.[5]:84
ACFTU activist Guo Wencai has said that democratic elections were a key standard to measure the effectiveness of a trade union and noted that the practice of Chinese company chiefs "appointing union leaders or assigning someone from their human resources department to act as union leader hampers a trade union's independence and its ability to protect workers' rights."[18]
There are differing approaches among ICFTU affiliates and Global Union Federations concerning contacts with the ACFTU ranging from "no contacts" to "constructive dialog." The ICFTU,noting that the ACFTU is not an independent trade union organization and,therefore,cannot be regarded as an authentic voice of Chinese workers,reaffirms its request to all affiliates and Global Union Federations having contacts with the Chinese authorities,including the ACFTU,to engage in critical dialog. This includes raising violations of fundamental workers' and trade union rights in any such meetings,especially concerning cases of detention of trade union and labor rights activists.[19]
Publications
The ACFTU publishes various journals,magazines,and other media,including Worker's Daily.[5]:130
The ACFTU is China's only legal trade union.[13]:161
The independent Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation formed during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Martial Law Command Headquarters issued a public notice declaring the BWAF an illegal organization and ordering it to disband on the grounds that Federation leaders were among "the main instigators and organizers in the capital of the counterrevolutionary rebellion."[20][21]
Since the 1990s, grassroots non-government organizations focused on labor advocacy have increased.[13]:162 As a result of their precarious legal position, they rarely engage in overt labor resistance.[13]:162
The failure of the ACFTU to advocate for workers has led to an increase in wildcat strikes and other unauthorized labor action.[10]
Note: Until 1987, Wade-Giles was the standard romanized system for Chinese even pinyin was introduced in 1958. Current pinyin names are included in parentheses.
1 2 3 4 Hammond, Ken (2023). China's Revolution and the Quest for a Socialist Future. New York, NY: 1804 Books. ISBN9781736850084.
↑ Lee, Lao To (1986): Trade Unions in China 1949 to the Present. Singapore University Press
↑ Traub-Merz, Rudolf (2011): All China Federation of Trade Unions: Structure, Functions and the Challenge of Collective Bargaining. International Labor Office
1 2 Bai, Ruixue (2011). "The Role of the All China Federation of Trade Unions: Implications for Chinese Workers Today". WorkingUSA: The Journal of Labor and Society. 14: 19–39. doi:10.1111/j.1743-4580.2010.00318.x.
↑ Andrew G. Walder; Gong Xiaoxia (January 1993). "Workers in the Tiananmen Protests: The Politics of the Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation". The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs. 29 (29): 1–29. doi:10.2307/2949950. JSTOR2949950. S2CID155448546.
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