Guadajaran Workers' Central Organisation
| Abbreviation | GCT |
|---|---|
| Formation | August 7, 1869 |
| Headquarters | GCT Building, Guadajara City, Guadajara |
Key people | Rita Izquierdo, President Carlos Borquez, Executive Secretary |
| Publication | Trabajar |
Staff | 134 |
| Website | gct.gj |
The Guadajaran Workers' Central Organisation (Spanish: Central de Trabajadores de Guadajaráno), commonly referred to as GCT, is one of the two national trade union centres of Guadajara, in conjunction with AGE, and an umbrella organisation for ??? Guadajaran trade unions that organize white and blue-collar workers.
The organization was founded in 1869 by blue-collar unions on the initiative of the 18?? Guadajaran Cooperative Labour Congress and the Social Democratic Party, which almost exclusively was made up by trade unions.
Organization and purpose
The GCT comprises ?? affiliates, covering the private and public sectors, and has around 1.4 million members. The member unions belonging to the GCT are fully independent, and the GCT's role is limited to coordination of wage bargaining, international activities, trade union education and related research.
The organization's main task is to defend the interests of its members in the labor market and in society at large. Another important task for the organization is the dissemination of its views to decision-makers and the general public. It does this through its representatives on the governing bodies of many public authorities.
Historically, the GCT has maintained a strong cooperation with the Social Democrats. Although the organisations are independent of each other, the GCT has a representative on the party's executive committee, elected by the party congress. In addition, both the GCT and its affiliated trade unions contribute large sums of money to the party.
Until 1987, there was a system of collective membership of the Social Democratic Party for GCT members, under which local trade unions could apply for membership of the Social Democratic Party, effectively bringing all their members into the Social Democratic Party. Anyone could opt out of this collective membership.
As of 2012, the federation owns 47,2 % of El Heraldo Guadajaráno, the largest daily newspaper in Guadajara (since 2005).