General Federation of Workers
 | |
| Founded | March 9, 1979 |
|---|---|
| Members |  86.420 million (2020) |
| Journal | Labourer's Journal |
| Affiliation | National Renovation Front (National) |
| Key people | Samir Alal (Chairman) Mohsen Alimardani (Party Liason) |
| Office location | Zahedan, Zorasan |
| Country | Zorasan |
The General Federation of Workers (GFW) (Pasdani: فدراسیون عمومی کارگران; Ajmal-e Kârgarân-ye Ettehād; Rahelian: الاتحاد العام للعمال; al-Ittiḥād al-Āmm al-Āmilūna) is the national trade union center of Zorasan. It is one of the largest trade unions in the world, with 86.24 million members as of 2020, drawn from 395,000 trade union organisations under the jursidication of the GFW. The GFW is organised in manner reflecting the federal political system of the country, with eight state federations which hold jursidiction over affiliated trade unions within the state. The GFW is the sole legally mandated and recognised trade union, under which all trade unions and worker's associations must be affiliated to be legally recognised. The GFW is also officially subordinate to the ruling National Renovation Front, leading many to debate whether the GFW is a trade union at all, or rather an organisation dedicated to uniting the one-party state with workers and labourers.
History
The GFW was established on the 9 March 1979, the same day the National Renovation Front was established as the successor to the Revolutionary Masses Party. The GFW for its part, is the legal successor to the National Workers League, both entities were the ruling party and sole trade union of the Union of Khazestan and Pardaran respectively and formed in preparation for Zorasani Unification in wake of the Irvadistan War. However, between 1979 and 1986, the GFW enjoyed a relatively high degree of independence from the NRF, though being de-jure subject to its authority and direction.
At the 7th Revolutionary Command Congress of the NRF, this autonomy was abolished with the General Labour Relations Notification, which mandated the “labour force of the Union must be drawn into the bosom of the Front, to further consolidate the unification of the populace with the direction of state.” The 7th Congress has been subject to intense debate, as to whether the pursuit of party control over the union was for political ends or to facilitate a top-down system of labour relations. Until the late 1990s, the Zorasani government utilised the GFW to direct industrial policy directly with enterprises, while efforts at collective bargaining, representing workers’ interests and concerns declined precipitously.
In 1989, the 10th Revolutionary Command Congress expanded the GFW to establish the General Workers Media Office and the National Committee for Celebratory Achievements. These bodies were tasked with producing documentaries and publications lauding the Zorasani worker and for awarding entire enterprises, mines and factories etc, for exceeding quotas, long-term high rates of growth and innovations respectively.
In 1990, with the beginning of the Saffron Era, the GFW would be mostly side-lined by the reformist government, who saw the GFW as an obstacle to the neo-liberal minded economic reforms. Throughout the 1990s, the GFW becamed markedly critical of the party leadership, as its economic reforms were conducted to little to no protection of the millions of workers employed by state enterprises, that formed the backbone of Zorasan's non-petrochemical industries. In 2001, relations between the GFW and the party leadership collapsed further, as the 1990-2005 generation of leadership began to pursue mass privatisations of state enterprises and conglomerates. The GFW became a scene of the wider power struggle within the NRF, as hardliners sought to gain control of the GFW at the 2001 Revolutionary Command Congress to be used as a means to oppose the party leadership. The hardliners, backed by the armed forces secured Mahmoud Saeed Alizadeh as Chairman of the GFW, a former Union Minister for Labour Affairs under the Javad Jahandar-led government. Alizadeh redirected the GFW's efforts into becoming a genuine voice for workers' interests, becoming a public thorn in the side of the reformist government.
In 2003, the GFW organised the first every cases of industrial action against the party leadership, with the moral backing of party hardliners and the military. Between 2003 and 2005, the GFW organised over 3,680 protests, 305 strikes and during the Turfan, threatened to organise a national strike if the reformist administration did not roll back its neo-liberal reforms. The GFW's relations with the party-state improved in wake of the Turfan and the rise of a hardliner dominated government. In 2006, Alizadeh was replaced by Abdullah Khalid Hashush (2006-2014) as Chairman, with Alizadeh's return as Union Minister for Labour Affairs. In 2014, Hashush was succeeded by Samir Alal, who has been accused of restoring GFW's supine relationship with the party and repeatedly placing business interests over those of affiliated workers.
Organisation
The GFW operates a organisational structure that mirrors the federal system of government in Zorasan. The General Workers Congress of the GFW, represents workers and affiliated unions in negotiations with the federal government and national enterprises. The GWC, is then subordinated by eight State Workers Congresses which represent workers and unions before state administrations and enterprises. Mirroring the workers congresses are ten industrial unions, representing specific sectors of industry; mining, manufacturing, agriculture for example.
The GFW as an organisation is managed by the Central Workers Committee, which is headed by a Chairman. Alongside the Chairman who possess executive authority include the Party Liason and the Ministry Representatives (who represent the Ministries of Labour Affairs, Petrochemical Industry, Industry and Economic Development and Social Administration.). Unlike other unions in other countries, none of the GFW's executive officers are elected by members or affiliated unions, rather they are appointed by the Zorasani government. Executive officers are not subject to term limits, with their records reviewed every year at the annual Revolutionary Command Congresses, the review of their records may well result in either their continued appointment or replacement.
Subordinate organisations
The GFW operates two major sub-organisations subject to the authority of the Central Workers Committee. These are the General Workers Media Office and the National Committee for Celebratory Achievements, these bodies were established by order of the 10th Revolutionary Command Congress in 1989. The two bodies are headed by chairmen who are appointed from members of the CWC, ensuring their works and records are regularly observed and reviewed by executive officers.
The General Workers Media Office is tasked with producing "informative media products that celebrate the worker and educate citizens on the virtues of work, labour and productivity." Since 1990, this is has mostly taken the form of documentaries, informative commercials or short films for general broadcast that laud the work of miners, factory workers and farmers - and often take the form of propagandistic portrayals of their working days. Another key project of the GWMO is the daily printing of the Labourer's Journal, a national newspaper dedicated to detailing events in industry, mining and construction. The Journal also serves as a medium for the State to detail its directives, policies and strategies directly to employees. Since 2009, the GWMO has also been subject to the purview of the State Commission for Revolutionary Propagation and Information, which is the primary state organ for propaganda and informative media products.
The National Committee for Celebratory Achievements is managed jointly by the GFW and the State Commission for Social Harmony and Integration, which is tasked with identifying individuals, groups or entire enterprises that "contribute greatly to the development, modernisation and growth of the Union." The NCCA's list of annual "national heroes" regularly results in the awarding of civilian honours, medals and statuses on national holidays and televised events. In 2019 for example, the NCCA awarded the Ghafourifard Coal Mine collectively, the Heroic Labourer of the Union during the Khordad Anniversary event after the GFW lobbied for their recognition in "far exceeding quoats and projections in productivity."
Lack of independence and subordination to the NRF
According to numerous sources inside and outside Zorasan, the GFW is not an independent trade union, while others go further to reject it being a trade union at all. Many cite the GFW's reformed charter produced at the 2008 Revolutionary Command Congress, as basis for its accusations. The 2008 Charter reads, "the General Federation of Workers is the mass organisational wing of the National Renovation Front and union of the labourer, worker, farmer and employee. It is the vehicle of mobilisation and unification between the State and the labour masses and the principal representative of labour interests. The Federation committs itself to the leadership of the National Renovation Front and shall bear the duties and responsibilities of mobilising the worker, labourer and employee into executing the directives, policies and industrial strategies of the State."
The GFW has been consistently accused of failing to uphold workers interests when negotiating with both business and government, often it is rather accused of seeking ways of subverting its members interests for the sake of maintaining the government's close relations with private enterprise. However, the GFW sees less criticism when dealing with the government on workers interests involving state owned enterprises. The GFW according to minutes of critical engagements with government, rarely if ever raises issues with violations of worker's rights, denial of services or the repression of independent activists. Since 2015, the GWF has been known to be the main enforcer of government industrial policies in relation to opposition from workers and their affiliated unions.
In recent years, the GFW's acquiesence to the NRF has resulted in the rise of wildcat strikes and independent industrial action by workers, who have felt forced to operate outside the GFW's remit, though many of these wildcat strikes are dealt with swiftly and often harshly. In 2019, these wildcat actions resulted in the GFW being required to "restore its service as the voice of the worker."
Member and affiliated organisations
- Railway Workers and Transporters Section of the General Federation
- Agricultural, Forestry and Marine Workers Section of the General Federation
- Construction and Maintenance Workers Section of the General Federation
- Petrochemical, Energy and Chemical Workers Section of the General Federation
- Postal and Telecommunications Workers Section of the General Federation
- Educational, Scientific and Vocational Workers Union
- General Industrial Workers Union
- Civil Service Section of the General Federation