Serving the Workers Wholeheartedly — the Immutable Goal of Trade Unions

The article by the CPC Leadership Group of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions was published in this year's ninth issue of Qiushi Journal. It elaborates on promoting high-quality development of trade union work on the new journey in the new era.

According to the article, since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always attached great importance to the working class and the work of trade unions. He pointed out the direction for trade union work through speeches, congratulatory letters, replies, instructions and directives.

Trade unions are not only a mass organization, but one with political attribute, where a clear political stance is the primary requirement. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly made systematic explanations on adhering to the CPC's leadership over the workers' movement and trade union work. As early as 2013, during his first conversation with the new leadership team of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions after the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi emphasized that since the correct political orientation is crucial for trade union work, trade unions should always uphold the leadership of the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The working class is the leading class of our country and the representative of advanced productive forces and production relations. It is the most solid and reliable class foundation of our Party, and the main force in adhering to and developing Chinese socialism. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, profound changes in the domestic and international environment have brought us arduous tasks of reform, development, and stability. Under such circumstances, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has united the working class and the vast workforce and led them in building a moderately prosperous society and a modern socialist country in all respects. This great endeavor has brought about historic achievements and changes in the cause of the Party and the country.

To wholeheartedly serve the interests of the working class and the vast workforce is an essential requirement of our socialist system, a sacred duty of the Party and the state, as well as the most important and fundamental task for giving full play to the principal role of the working class and the vast workforce.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has been concerned about the wellbeing of the working class and workers, emphasizing that the CPC always represents the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people and shares weal and woe with the people. He also stressed that it is imperative to safeguard the people's fundamental interests, improve their wellbeing, and work tirelessly to ensure that development is for the people and by the people and that its fruits are shared by the people. In this way, the gains of modernization will benefit all our people fairly. In light of this, trade unions should make serving the workers wholeheartedly the immutable goal of their work.

Reform and innovation are the inexhaustible driving force for the development of the Party and the state, as well as an engine for the high-quality development of trade union work. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi has always laid emphasis on the reform and development of mass organizations including trade unions in making plans for deepening reform across the board. Bearing in mind his instructions and responding to the call of the times, trade unions at all levels have striven to make their work more efficient and effective, by improving services, enhancing the working mechanism, as well as encouraging innovation and digital and smart technologies.

Editor: Yi Xiaowei