A trade union, often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", such as attaining better wages and benefits, improving working conditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing status of employees and protecting the integrity of their trade through the increased bargaining power wielded by solidarity among workers.
Labour laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, employer, and union.
The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, founded in 1895 in the city of Limoges. It is the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group established in 1948 in Hong Kong. It is the oldest and largest labour group in Hong Kong with over 420,000 members in 253 affiliates and associated trade unions. Presided by Ng Chau-pei and chaired by Kingsley Wong, it currently holds four seats in the Legislative Council and five seats in the District Councils.
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.
The Cooperation Committee of the Nordic Labour Movement, better known by its abbreviation SAMAK, is an alliance of social democratic parties and labour councils in the Nordic countries. SAMAK consists of all social democratic parties and trade union organisations in the Nordic countries, including in Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland. The current President of the Committee as of 2021 is Jonas Gahr Støre, the leader of the Norwegian Labour Party and Prime Minister of Norway. Jan-Erik Støstad is the General Secretary, and Kjersti Stenseng is Chair of the Board.
The Tamil Nadu Democratic Construction Labour Union is a trade union of construction workers in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. TNDCLU is affiliated with the All India Central Council of Trade Unions. TNDCLU hopes to increase its membership to 15,000 during 2005.
The Austrian Trade Union Federation or Austrian Federation of Trade Unions is a labour union of employees. It is constituted as an association and is subdivided into seven smaller affiliated trade unions. Each union is traditionally dominated by a certain political faction, with the strongest faction in the ÖGB as a whole traditionally being the social democratic one, which is known for its close contacts to Austria's Social Democratic Party (SPÖ); chairmen of the ÖGB have often also been influential SPÖ members.
The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL) is the Nova Scotia provincial trade union federation of the Canadian Labour Congress.
The Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT) is the third largest national trade union centre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.
The International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions is the international representation of trade unions in a number of Arab nations.
The Democratic Federation of Labour (FDT) is a national trade union center in Morocco. It was formed in April 2003 as a breakaway from the Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT).
The Pakistan Workers' Federation (PWF) is a national trade union centre in Pakistan. It is the largest labour organisation in the country and its affiliated unions are among the oldest. The centre itself was created in 1994 through a merger of three former national centres. It is independent and non-political. Internationally, it is affiliated with ITUC.
Trade unions in South Africa has a history dating back to the 1880s. From the beginning unions could be viewed as a reflection of the racial disunity of the country, with the earliest unions being predominantly for white workers. Through the turbulent years of 1948–1991 trade unions played an important part in developing political and economic resistance, and eventually were one of the driving forces in realising the transition to an inclusive democratic government.
The Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions was a Dutch social-democratic trade union.
Democratic Way is a legal Marxist political party in Morocco led by Mustapha Brahma and includes former members of the heavily repressed Moroccan Communist Party and the Marxist-Leninist Moroccan Movement.
Eric Lee is an American-born activist and author. He was born in New York City and is the founding editor of LabourStart, the news and campaigning website of the international trade union movement. He is also the author of The Labour Movement and the Internet: The New Internationalism and several other books.
The Japan Labour Union League was a trade union centre in Japan. It was founded in December 1926, following the split in the Social Democratic Party as the leaders of the dissident Japan Labour-Farmer Party were expelled from the social-democratic Japan Federation of Labour (Sodomei) trade union centre. The Japan Labour Union League functioned as the trade union wing of the Japan Labour-Farmer Party, and had around 5,000-6,000 members.
