The Jiangsu provincial federation of trade unions held a meeting Thursday to convey the spirit of the 17th national trade union congress that closed last week. Wei Guoqiang, chairman of the provincial federation of trade unions, presided over the meeting.
The national congress elected new leadership of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.
When meeting with the new leadership on October 29th, President Xi Jinping urged China's trade unions on Monday to firmly uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China and step up efforts to safeguard the legitimate interests of workers.
Trade unions should unite workers in motivating them to render meritorious service in the new era and step up guidance in political thought, Xi said.
Xi said the working class must serve as the major driving force as the country makes efforts to realize goals and tasks set in the 19th CPC National Congress.
Trade unions should host competitions of various kinds to promote high-quality development and establishment of a modern economic system, he said.
In safeguarding workers' legitimate interests, trade unions should focus on their greatest concerns and immediate and realistic problems, he said.
They should speak up wherever the legitimate interests of workers have been harmed, Xi added.
Founded on May 1, 1925, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions now has more than 300 million members, 140 million of whom are migrant workers from rural areas holding jobs in cities.
The union has 2.8 million primary trade union organizations, according to the union's work report delivered last week.
