Trade Unions Federation

The **Trade Unions** **Federation** (**TUF**) offically known as the **All-Union** **Federation of Trade Unions** is the world's largest trade union federation after the unifications of all international trade union federations.

### Organization

A **national trade union center** (or **national center** or **central**) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such as the Nordic countries, different centers exist on a sectoral basis, for example, for blue collar workers and professionals.

## Affiliated unions

### National Affiliates

Example of National affiliates of the TUF include:

* General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea ( SFR Korea)
* All-Workers Militant Front ( Greece)
* Unione Sindacale di Base ( Italy)
* Bangladesh Trade Union Centre ( Bangladesh)
* Vietnam General Confederation of Labour ( Vietnam)
* Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey ( Turkey)
* National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers ( United Kingdom)
* Congress of South African Trade Unions ( South Africa)
* Bolivian Workers' Center ( Bolivia)
* Workers' Central Union of Cuba ( Cuba)
* General Union of Palestinian Workers (GUPW) ( Palestine)
* Confederación General de Trabajadores del Perú ( Peru)
* General Federation of Trade Unions ( Syria)
* All India Trade Union Congress ( India)
* Centre of Indian Trade Unions ( India)
* All India Central Council of Trade Unions ( India)
* Intersindical-CSC ( Spain)
* Coordinadora Obrera Sindical ( Spain)
* Coordinadora Sindical de Clase ( Spain)
* Frente Sindical Obrero de Canarias ( Spain)
* Confederation Intersindical Galega ( Spain)
* Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak ( Spain)
* Workers' House ( Iran)
* Unidade Classista ( Brazil)
* Central dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras do Brasil ( Brazil)
* United Trade Unions of Serbia "Sloga" ( Serbia)
* All-China Federation of Trade Unions ( China)
* Labor United Educational League (LUEL) ( USA)
* Union of Trade Unions of Monaco ( Monaco)
* National Federation of Agri-Food and Forestry and National Federation of Chemical Industries from General Confederation of Labour ( France)

### Trade Union Internationals

During the late 1940s, the WFTU unsuccessfully tried to reach an agreement with already existing international trade secretariats. When the Union split in 1949 they were left without an organization at the level of specific industries, leading to the creation of the Trade Union International (TUI) system.

The TUI system has gone through a number of transformations in its over 60 years of existence. The following Trade Unions Internationals are constituted within the WFTU:

* World Federation of Teachers Unions – known by its French acronym FISE, this is the earliest affiliated union, founded in 1946. It maintained a degree of independence from the WFTU not exercised by the other TUIs.
* In 1949, the 2nd World Congress decided to create a series of sectoral unions, after their negotiations with already existing international trade secretariats failed. At first these were known as Trade Departments or International Federations, but they adopted the appellation "Trade Union Internationals" by the mid-1950s. The original TUIs formed in 1949 and 1950 were:
* The WFTU functioned during the Cold War largely as a unitary organization, bringing together unions from the Communist bloc and Western unions.
	+ Trade Union International of Agricultural and Forestry Workers (also known as the TUI of Agricultural, Forestry and Plantation Workers)
	+ Trade Unions International of Building, Wood, Building Materials and Industries
	+ International Union of Trade Unions of Postal, Telephone and Telegraph Workers (also known as the TUI of Postal, Telegraph, Telephone and Radio Workers)
	+ Trade Union International of Chemical and Allied Workers
	+ Trade Unions International of Miners
	+ Trade Union International of Food, Tobacco, Hotel and Allied Industries Workers (also known as the TUI of Food, Tobacco and Catering Workers or the TUI of Food, Tobacco and Beverage Industries, and Hotel, Cafe and Restaurant Workers)
	+ Trade Union International of Metal and Engineering Workers (also known as the TUI of Workers in the Metal Industry)
	+ Trade Union International of Textile and Clothing Workers
	+ Trade Union International of Leather, Shoe, Fur and Leather Products
	+ Trade Unions International of Seamen and Dockers
	+ Trade Unions International of Land and Air Transport Workers

Over time, some of these original eleven would expand their bases, change their names or merge:

* In 1953, the TUIs of Seamen and Dockers and Land and Air Transport Workers merged to form the Trade Unions International of Transport, Port and Fishery Workers. By 1985, this union had adopted its present name, Trade Unions International of Transport Workers.
* In 1954 the TUI of Chemical and Allied Workers expanded its sectoral base and became the Trade Unions International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers.
* In 1955 the International Union of Trade Unions of Postal, Telephone and Telegraph Workers expanded its scope to all public employees and became the Trade Unions International of Public and Allied Employees.
* In 1958 the TUIs of Leather, Shoe, Fur and Leather Products and of Textile and Clothing Workers merged to form the Trade Union International of Textile, Leather and Fur Workers Unions.
* In 1983 the TUI of Miners expanded its scope and became the Trade Unions International of Miners and Energy Workers. In 1986 it became the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers before ceasing activities.

Other than the initial eleven, two new TUIs were formed during the course of the Cold War:

* Trade Union International of Workers in Commerce formed in 1959
* Standing Committee of Trade Unions in the Graphic Industry formed in 1961, allied with, but not formally affiliated to the WFTU.

#### Post-Cold War developments

After the dissolution of the Eastern bloc, the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers and the Trade Union International of Metal and Engineering Workers temporarily suspended operations. In 1998 a conference was held in Havana which merged these two organizations and the Trade Union International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers in a new group, Trade Union International of Energy, Metal, Chemical, Oil and Allied Industries. This organization was reorganized again as the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers in 2007. This left the metal workers an opportunity create a new TUI the next year, Trade Union International of Workers in the Mining, the Metallurgy and the Metal Industries.

In 1997 the Trade Union International of Agroalimentary, Food, Commerce, Textile & Allied Industries was formed by the merger of the Trade Union International of Agricultural, Forestry and Plantation Workers, Trade Union International of Food, Tobacco, Hotel and Allied Industries Workers, Trade Union International of Workers in Commerce, Trade Union International of Textile, Leather and Fur Workers Unions.

The Trade Union International of Workers in Tourism and Hotels was founded in 2009, the Trade Union International of Banks, Insurance and Financial Unions Employees in 2011 and the Trade Union International of Pensioners and Retired Persons in 2014. In 2020, a new Trade Union International of Textile-Garment-Leather was founded.

### Personnel structure

The **President of the Trades Union Congress** is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.

## History[edit]

Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the duration of the congress. Early standing orders stated that preference had to be given to a candidate from the city where the congress was being held; they were not necessarily well-known figures.

In 1900, the standing orders were changed to state that the presidency would be filled by the person who had chaired the Parliamentary Committee over the previous year. As a result, before 1900, numerous people served as Chair of the Parliamentary Committee without becoming President; after this date, Presidents were prominent figures in the national trade union movement. The Parliamentary Committee was replaced by the General Council in 1921, and the system continued.

There were still rare occasions where the Chair did not become President. Margaret Bondfield, who was elected as Chair in 1923, resigned to accept a government post before becoming President. George Isaacs, who was elected as Chair in 1944, similarly resigned to accept a government post, and was replaced by the vice-president, Ebby Edwards, who had presided over the previous year's congress.

In recent years, the President has once more been elected at the annual congress, but now officially fills the office for the remainder of the year and then presides over the following year's conference

The **General Secretary of the TUC** is the chief permanent officer of the Trades Union Congress, and a major figurehead in the trade union movement in the United Kingdom.

The Secretary is responsible for the effective operation of the TUC and for leading implementation of policies set by the annual Congress and the organisation's General Council. They also serve as the TUC's chief representative, both with the public and with other organisations.

The position was formed in 1921, when the Parliamentary Committee of the TUC became the General Council. The position of Secretary has been a permanent, full-time position in the TUC since 1904. Before that, the Secretary was elected annually at Congress.

Between January 2013 and January 2023, the incumbent position was held by Frances O'Grady, the first woman to hold the post. O'Grady was succeeded by Paul Nowak, the Deputy General Secretary during O'Grady's leadership, on 1 January 2023. The current General Secretary of the TUC is Paul Nowak.

A **union representative**, **union steward**, or **shop steward** is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold this position voluntarily (through democratic election by fellow workers or sometimes by appointment of a higher union body) while maintaining their role as an employee of the firm. As a result, the union steward becomes a significant link and conduit of information between the union leadership and rank-and-file workers.

## Duties

The duties of a union steward vary according to each labor union's constitutional mandate for the position. In general, most union stewards perform the following functions:

* Monitor and enforce the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement (labor contract) to ensure both the firm and union worker are not violating the terms of the agreement.
* Ensure that the firm is in compliance with all federal, state and local laws and regulations.
* Represent and defend fellow workers whom the firm believes violated company policy or the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement, often through the grievance process.
* Communicate and disseminate official union policy, memos and directives to workers in the shop.
* Popularize and promote union consciousness and values in the workplace.

Unlike other union representatives, stewards work on the shop floor, connecting workers with union officials at regional or national levels. The role of shop stewards may vary from being a mere representative of a larger national union towards independent structures with the power of collective bargaining in the workplace.

## In political history

In the United Kingdom, a network called Shop Stewards Movement organised shop stewards against the first World War. In Germany, a network of shop stewards called Revolutionary Stewards took an important role in the revolutionary "January Strike".

## Other designations

**Father of the chapel** (**FoC**) or **mother of the chapel** (**MoC**) are the titles in the United Kingdom and Australasia referring to a shop steward representing members of a trade union in a printing office or in journalism. The FoC or MoC is assisted by the **clerk of the chapel** or by a **deputy FoC/MoC**. In the printing trade, a chapel is the traditional name given to a meeting of compositors. The name originates in the early history of printing in Great Britain, though the National Union of Journalists states that the precise origins of the terms are unclear.