News
8th Congress of GFTUK Held
May
The 8th Congress of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK) was held in Pyongyang on May 25 and 26.
The congress comprehensively analyzed and reviewed the trade union’s work during the period under review and discussed the tasks and practical ways for fully demonstrating the cohesion of the heroic working class and the militant might of the trade unions in carrying out the decisions made at the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the WPK by bringing about a fundamental turn in the trade union’s work.
Present at the congress were the delegates elected by the trade union organizations at all levels.
Present there as observers were officials of the Party, administration and armed forces organs.
The platform was taken by Ri Il Hwan, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, members of the executive committee of the Central Committee of the GFTUK, chairpersons of the provincial trade union committees, officials doing the trade union’s work in the armed forces organs and exemplary officials and functionaries of primary organizations of the trade unions and officials concerned.
The congress elected its presidium and secretariat.
The congress approved the following agenda items:
1. Review of the work of the Central Committee of the GFTUK
2. Review of the work of the Central Inspection Commission of the GFTUK
3. On revising the rules of the GFTUK
4. Election of the central leadership organ of the GFTUK
At the congress, Ri Il Hwan read out “Let the Trade Unions Become Advance Units That Open Up a New Era of Upsurge in Socialist Construction in the Vanguard”, the important letter sent by Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to the participants in the congress.
In the letter, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said:
Convinced that this congress will constitute a turning point in bringing about innovation and development in the union’s work in response to the unanimous desire of the working class and other trade union members to advance faster towards a great, new victory of socialism and a new life, I, in the name of the Party Central Committee, extend warm congratulations to the congress.
During the arduous struggle over the last five years, all the working class and other trade union members, cherishing in their hearts the trust of the Party Central Committee that gave them the valuable title of the heroic working class of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, rendered an outstanding contribution to opening up the our-state-first era by displaying their unexcelled patriotic devotion.
The Eighth Congress of the WPK set the goals of a new stage aimed at putting the country’s economy on a track of normal development by readjusting and reinforcing it. The era of a great turn, the era of a fresh great upsurge, demands that the working class and other trade union members, the masters of creation and construction, mindful of the important mission and duties they have assumed before the times and revolution, rise up and demonstrate their fighting efficiency to the maximum.
Our working class should carry forward in today’s revolutionary advance the spirit and mettle of their predecessors in the postwar reconstruction period and the Chollima days who worked legendary miracles in the history of our economic construction.
He comprehensively set forth the tasks and ways facing the trade unions at the present stage.
Pak In Chol, chairman of the Central Committee of the GFTUK, made a report on the first agenda item “Review of the work of the Central Committee of the GFTUK”.
The reporter said that the congress was held in a historic period of a new upsurge and gigantic transformation in socialist construction, which was an expression of great trust and expectation of the Party Central Committee that the GFTUK would fully demonstrate its might as the mass political organization of the working class in the drive for implementing the decisions made at the 8th Congress of the Party.
He said that the respected General Secretary in the historic letter sent to the participants in the 7th Congress of the GFTUK five years ago provided important guidelines to be held fast to by our working class and the trade unions in the new era of the Juche revolution.
He noted that the achievements made in the work of the trade unions for carrying out the tasks set forth by the 7th Congress of the Party were entirely a bright fruition of the great leadership the General Secretary provided by leading the trade union work step by step.
He said that the trade unions face an honourable revolutionary task to fulfil the responsibility and duty as the reliable assistant and champion of the Party in the general advance for opening a new avenue of socialist construction, in hearty response to the great fighting programme set forth by the 8th Congress of the WPK and the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the WPK.
He called on the trade union organizations at all levels to bring about a drastic turn in the trade union work guided by the idea and spirit of the 8th Party Congress, and brilliantly carry forward the tradition of upholding the Party with loyalty and the history of single-minded unity.
He called for reinforcing the primary organizations of the trade unions, the key link in the whole chain of the work for improving and strengthening the trade union, and boosting their function and role.
He stressed the need to perform miracles and feats in bringing about a new great revolutionary upswing through active mass movement in line with the intention of the Party and the requirements of the developing reality.
Speeches were made on the first agenda item.
They roundly analyzed and reviewed the mistakes revealed in the work of union organizations at all levels during the period under review and their causes.
Speakers evinced their pledge to put all-out efforts on establishing the unified leadership system of the Party Central Committee more thoroughly and encouraging the working class and members of the trade unions to carry out the decisions made at the 8th Congress of the Party, regarding the letter sent by Kim Jong Un as the general fighting task of the trade unions.
The congress heard a report on the second agenda item “Review of the work of the Central Inspection Commission of the GFTUK” to be followed by speeches. A resolution was adopted with unanimous approval.
The congress discussed the third agenda item “On revising the rules of the GFTUK”.
There was a report on revising the rules of the GFTUK that was modified and supplemented as required by the developing revolution and on the principle of building the trade unions, and a resolution was adopted with unanimous approval of the delegates.
The congress discussed the fourth agenda item “On election of the central leadership organ of the GFTUK”.
First, it elected the Central Committee of the GFTUK.
All the nominees were elected members and alternate members of the Central Committee of the GFTUK with unanimous approval of the delegates.
Then, there was the first plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the GFTUK.
Ri Il Hwan announced the result made at the first plenary meeting.
The Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the GFTUK was elected.
Pak In Chol was elected chairman of the Central Committee of the GFTUK, and Kang Chol Man, Pong Won Ik, Pak Yang Thae, Kim Song Ho and Choe Su Dong were elected vice-chairmen.
The Organizing Committee of the Central Committee of the GFTUK was formed.
The chairman, vice-chairpersons and members of the Central Inspection Commission of the GFTUK were elected.
Department directors of the Central Committee of the GFTUK and the editor-in-chief of the organ of the Central Committee of the GFTUK were appointed.
The congress elected the committee for drafting the resolution of the congress with the newly-elected members of the 8th central leadership organ of the GFTUK, and the committee comprehensively examined the draft resolution on the first agenda item.
A resolution on the first agenda item, which was supplemented with creative and constructive opinions of the delegates, was adopted with their unanimous approval.
