China's Top Trade Union Body Issues 15th Five-Year Work Plan

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) has issued its development plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, setting the strategic framework for China's official labor apparatus. The document establishes operational priorities across labor rights protection, industrial workforce reform, and organizational expansion, while reaffirming Communist Party leadership. Spanning 13 sections and 40 provisions, the plan introduces 12 specific targets across eight major areas, including craftsman development and trade union recruitment.

The blueprint establishes the operational and policy priorities of China's union apparatus for the upcoming five-year cycle, shaping institutional mechanisms for worker rights protection, vocational skilling, and labor-sector governance across major industries.

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) has officially released the "15th Five-Year Plan for the Cause of the Chinese Workers' Movement and Trade Union Work," establishing the overarching framework for trade union operations in the coming five-year period, state media reported. According to an official Q&A published by Xinhua, the plan contains approximately 5,600 Chinese characters arranged across three main modules, 13 sections, and 40 specific articles, supplemented by nine dedicated feature columns covering core operational areas such as ideological work, economic initiatives, and industrial workforce reform. The framework outlines guiding principles rooted in Communist Party leadership and alignment with general central committee directives. The plan emphasizes enhancing ideological and political guidance for workers, mobilizing the workforce around national development objectives, and deepening reforms in the development of industrial labor队伍 (workforce). Key policy areas outlined in the document include strengthening trade union rights-protection mechanisms, addressing pressing challenges faced by key worker demographics, advancing rule-of-law construction in union operations, and maintaining political security within the labor sphere. The plan also details measures to broaden the organizational coverage of trade unions, deepen internal union reforms, and expand external exchanges involving Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and foreign partners. To measure progress, the ACFTU specified 12 quantifiable indicators across eight operational sectors. These benchmarks cover areas such as the cultivation of master craftsmen, the development of model worker innovation studios, trade union-led employment services, and the establishment of grassroots union branches alongside membership intake. ACFTU officials stated that placing political direction at the forefront of the blueprint aims to consolidate the Party's class and mass foundation, while mobilizing workers to contribute to modernization goals.