The evolving roles of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, 1925–present

Bibliographic Data

ID19215583
AuthorsShuyu Lin (Dalian University of Technology), Wenyu Liu (0000-0003-3581-594X, Dalian University of Technology, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-20
Publication date2026-04-29
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLabor History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0023-656X • E-ISSN: 1469-9702
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0023656x.2026.2667450
OpenAlexW7160103648
LanguageEN
References cited8

This article examines how institutional documents produced within the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) system have defined the roles of the ACFTU from its establishment in 1925 to the present. Drawing on union constitutions, congress reports, union resolutions, and union newspapers, the article reconstructs how successive institutional texts defined the roles assigned to trade unions. During the revolutionary period from 1925 to 1948, union documents described trade unions as organizations responsible for mobilizing workers in support of revolutionary struggle. During the period of socialist construction from 1949 to 1977, union documents emphasized participation in national production and economic development. During the reform era from 1978 to 2012, official texts gave attention to mediation of labor disputes and the protection of workers’ legal rights. After 2013, union documents have highlighted political education and ideological guidance among workers in a rapidly changing labor market. By reconstructing these successive descriptions across a century of union documents, the article shows how the roles assigned to Chinese trade unions were repeatedly redefined in response to changing political and economic priorities.

Free trade · Russian federation · Trade barrier · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · International Labor and Employment Law · Labor Movements and Unions

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