General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea

General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK; Korean: 조선직업총동맹; Hanja: 朝鮮職業總同盟) is the sole legal trade union federation in North Korea. GFTUK was formed on November 30, 1945 as the General Federation of Trade Unions of North Korea.[1] In January 1951, it was reorganized and adopted its current name.[2] The chairman of the central committee of GFTUK is Ju Yong-guk.[3]

GFTUK
Full nameGeneral Federation of Trade Unions of Korea
Founded30 November 1945 (1945-11-30)
Members1.6 million (2003)
JournalRodongja Sinmun
AffiliationDemocratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, World Federation of Trade Unions
Key peopleJu Yong-guk (chairman)
CountryNorth Korea
North Korea
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
North Korea
Constitution
Workers' Party
State Affairs Commission
Government
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
Related topics
 North Korea portal

Organization

As of 2003, GFTUK has 1.6 million members,[4] down from more than 2.4 million in the 1970s.[5] During the Cold War, its membership was about half of the membership of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The ratio was comparatively low for a socialist country, evidencing the relatively unimportant role of unions in North Korea, which was one of the most industrialized socialist countries.[6] Nevertheless, GFTUK was considered one of the most important mass organizations in the country.[7] All workers of 30 years of age are required to be members of GFTUK if they are not members of WPK, the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea, or the Korean Democratic Women's League.[1]

Domestically, GFTUK is a member of the popular front Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland.[8] Internationally, the Federation is affiliated to the World Federation of Trade Unions,[9] which it joined on May 2, 1947.[10] The unions of GFTUK are affiliated to the various branch organizations of WFTU. The head of the international department of GFTUK is Im Jong-gi.

The website of the Korean Friendship Association states that "(The GFTUK) conducts ideological education to ensure its members fully understand the Juche idea and gets them to take part in socialist construction and the management of the socialist economy with the attitude befitting masters. It has its organizations in different branches of industry." [2] However, the North Korea Handbook states that the GFTUK is not designed to serve its members but the WPK.[1] GFTUK is directly controlled by the Central Committee of the WPK.[11]

Rodongja Sinmun is the organ of the Central Committee of GFTUK.[12]

Former chairmen

List of unions affiliated to GFTUK

GFTUK has two types of trade unions, the ones in state enterprises and the ones in private enterprises.

The following trade unions, representing nine different industries,[14] comprise GFTUK:[4]

  • Trade Union of Metal and Engineering Industries of Korea
  • Trade Union of Mining and Power Industries of Korea
  • Trade Union of Light and Chemical Industries of Korea
  • Trade Union of Public Employees and Service Workers of Korea
  • Trade Union of Construction and Forestry Workers of Korea
  • Trade Union of Educational and Cultural Workers of Korea
  • Trade Union of Transport and Fisheries Workers of Korea

See also

References
  1. Yonhap 2002, p. 389.
  2. "Democratic People's Republic of Korea_Juche Korea". korea-dpr.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  3. "6th Session of the 13th SPA Held". North Korea Leadership Watch. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. The Europa World Year. Volume II: Kazakhstan - Zimbabwe (45th ed.). London: Europa Publications. 2004. p. 2486. ISBN 978-1-85743-255-8.
  5. "Korea". The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). The Gale Group, Inc. 1970–1979. Retrieved 31 January 2021 – via TheFreeDictionary.com.
  6. Santonen, Arvo (1989). Kansainvälinen (in Finnish). 3: Työväenliike Aasiassa, Afrikassa ja Latinalaisessa Amerikassa. Espoo: Weilin+Göös. p. 39. ISBN 951-35-4211-4.
  7. Scalapino, Robert A.; Chun-yŏp Kim (1983). North Korea Today: Strategic and Domestic Issues. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, Center for Korean Studies. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-912966-55-7.
  8. Lansford, Tom (2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. Singapore: CQ Press. p. 3330. ISBN 978-1-4833-7155-9.
  9. "International Organizations". North Korea in the World. East-West Center, The National Committee on North Korea. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  10. Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Second Periodic Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant: Addendum: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DOC). United Nations Economic and Social Council. 15 May 2002. p. 13. E/1990/6/Add.35. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  11. "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  12. Yonhap 2002, p. 425.
  13. "Civil servants mark this year's first sports day". The Pyongyang Times. KCNA. 2017-01-10. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  14. "Workers' Organizations". North Korea Leadership Watch. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2019.

Works cited

Further reading


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.