Xi Jinping's Speech at the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the National Commendation Conference for Labor Models and Advanced Workers

Xi Jinping

Comrades, friends:

　　As May 1st International Labor Day approaches, we are holding a grand gathering to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, review the glorious history and great achievements of our country's workers' movement, commend national model workers and advanced workers, and further mobilize and inspire our working class and the vast number of working people to forge ahead on a new journey and make new contributions to the new era, making new and greater contributions to comprehensively promoting the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

　　First of all, on behalf of the Party Central Committee, I would like to express my high respect to the revolutionary martyrs and the older generation of trade union leaders who have made outstanding historical contributions to the Party's trade union cause! I would like to extend my sincere greetings to workers, farmers, intellectuals, and other working people of all ethnic groups across the country, to trade union organizations at all levels and all trade union workers! I would like to extend festive greetings to trade unions and labor circles in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan! I would like to express my warm congratulations to the national model workers and advanced workers who have been commended!

　　At the same time, on behalf of the Chinese working class and the vast number of working people, I would like to extend my best wishes to the working class and working people all over the world!

　　Comrades, friends!

　　On May 1, 1925, in accordance with the decision of the CPC Central Committee, the Second National Labor Congress opened in Guangzhou. This congress announced the formal establishment of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. For 100 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese trade unions have closely followed the central tasks of the Party in various historical periods, uniting and mobilizing our working class to follow the Party's steps and stay at the forefront of the times, establishing immortal achievements in promoting the great undertakings of revolution, construction, and reform, and writing a magnificent chapter in the history of our country's workers' movement.

　　During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the Chinese trade unions united and mobilized the broad masses of workers with the dauntless revolutionary spirit to bravely throw themselves into the revolutionary torrent against imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism, making successive sacrifices and fighting bravely to make important contributions to achieving national independence and people's liberation and establishing a new China.

　　During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the Chinese trade unions united and mobilized the broad masses of employees with the spirit of masters and passionate enthusiasm to actively participate in the construction of New China, striving for self-reliance and hard work, singing the strong voice of the times of "We workers have strength," and making important contributions to consolidating the newly born people's power, establishing the basic socialist system, and promoting socialist construction.

　　During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization construction, the Chinese trade unions have united and mobilized the broad masses of employees with the mission and responsibility of the main force to actively participate in reform and opening up, forge ahead with determination, and make selfless contributions to liberating and developing social productive forces and building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

　　Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has made a series of important statements on the working class and trade union work, and has deployed a series of important tasks, profoundly answering a series of directional, fundamental, and strategic issues, further enriching and developing the Party's trade union theory, and promoting the Party's trade union cause to achieve historical achievements and all-round progress. The Chinese trade unions have united and mobilized the broad masses of employees with the spirit of striving, being confident and self-reliant, and taking on heavy responsibilities, making great achievements in the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and making important contributions to the timely and comprehensive building of a moderately prosperous society and promoting Chinese-style modernization.

　　The 100 years since the founding of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions have been 100 years of combining Marxist trade union theory with the concrete practice of the Chinese workers' movement, and 100 years in which the Chinese working class and trade union organizations have unswervingly followed the Party and united to fight for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Practice has fully proved that the Chinese working class is undoubtedly the most solid and reliable class foundation of the Communist Party of China, undoubtedly the leading class of our socialist country, undoubtedly the representative of advanced productive forces and production relations, and undoubtedly the main force in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. Our trade unions are undoubtedly the bridge and link between the Party and the employees, undoubtedly an important social pillar of the socialist state's power, and undoubtedly the representatives and defenders of the interests of employees. No matter how the times and social groups change, the status and role of the Chinese working class cannot be shaken, the fundamental policy of wholeheartedly relying on the working class cannot be shaken, and the nature and functions of the Chinese trade unions cannot be shaken.

　　In the past 100 years, the most important achievements of theoretical innovation and practical development in the Party's trade union cause are the formation of the path of socialist trade union development with Chinese characteristics. This path adheres to the Party's overall leadership over the trade union cause and trade union work, ensuring that the workers' movement always moves along the correct path; adheres to the fundamental policy of wholeheartedly relying on the working class, giving full play to the role of the working class as the main force; adheres to serving the Party's central tasks, enabling the workers' movement and trade union work to consciously act within the overall situation; adheres to the political nature, advanced nature, and mass nature of trade union organizations, giving full play to their role as a bridge and link between the Party and the employees; adheres to serving the employees as its lifeline, effectively protecting the legitimate rights and interests of employees and promoting their all-round development; adheres to working according to laws and regulations, promoting the continuous enhancement of vitality in trade union organizations and work through upholding the correct principles and making innovations. These are profound summaries of the valuable experience of the Party's leadership of the trade union cause and trade union work over the past 100 years and must be adhered to for a long time.

　　Comrades, friends!

　　The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has clearly defined the central task of comprehensively promoting the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization. This central task is the theme of the times for the Chinese workers' movement. On the new journey of the new era, we must closely follow the Party's central tasks and gather the tremendous strength of the working class and the broad masses of working people.

　　We must focus on promoting high-quality development, mobilizing and inspiring the vast number of employees and working people to make achievements and innovations. High-quality development cannot be achieved without high-quality labor creation. We must combine the development of new productive forces, thoroughly implement the new development concept, widely carry out various achievements and mass innovation and creation activities, organize and guide the vast number of laborers to focus on their positions, overcome difficulties in the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, forge ahead in the development and growth of emerging industries, and boldly explore in the cultivation and growth of future industries, constantly injecting new impetus into building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development.

　　We must adapt to the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation and comprehensively improve the quality of workers. This is a necessary requirement for the Chinese working class, as the "most progressive class," to always remain at the forefront of the times. We must focus on implementing the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the country through talent, and the strategy of driving development through innovation, thoroughly implement the project for improving the quality of employees, deepen the reform of building a team of industrial workers, widely carry out labor and skills competitions, guide the vast number of laborers to learn for life and continuously improve their quality, and strive to build a contingent of knowledge-based, skilled, and innovative workers.

　　We must deeply practice the socialist core values and vigorously promote the spirit of model workers, the spirit of labor, and the spirit of craftsmanship. The spirit of model workers, the spirit of labor, and the spirit of craftsmanship forged by the working class and the broad masses of working people in their long-term struggle are vivid manifestations of the socialist core values. We must vigorously promote the social atmosphere that labor is glorious, labor is noble, labor is great, and labor is beautiful, create a good atmosphere of respecting labor, knowledge, talent, and creation, and encourage all people to achieve their aspirations for a better life through diligent labor, honest labor, and creative labor.

　　We must focus on advancing common prosperity and steadily improving the well-being of the broad masses of workers and laborers. Common prosperity must be achieved by and reflected in the lives of the broad masses of laborers. We must adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, create better employment and working conditions, promote high-quality employment, and orderly increase the weight of labor, skills, knowledge, and innovation factors in income distribution, continuously enhancing the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the broad masses of workers and laborers.

　　Labor models and advanced workers are role models for the people and pillars of the nation. For a long time, generation after generation of labor models and advanced workers have played a demonstrative and leading role in promoting the development of undertakings and the progress of the times. We must further tell their stories, guide the whole society to learn from their deeds, and carry forward their spirit. I hope that the labor models and advanced workers who have been commended will cherish their honor, maintain their true colors, continue to work hard, and make new achievements.

　　Comrades, friends!

　　The centenary trade union is standing at a new historical starting point. The Party and the state have high hopes for the trade union organizations, and the working people have high expectations for them. Trade unions at all levels must fully implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, promote high-quality development of trade union work, and write a more magnificent chapter in the cause of the Chinese labor movement.

　　We must uphold the correct political direction and firmly unite the broad masses of workers and laborers around the Party. We must resolutely uphold the authority and centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee and implement the Party's leadership throughout the process and in all aspects of trade union work. We must adhere to using the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics to arm our minds, guide practice, and promote work, resolutely shouldering the political responsibility of guiding the working people to listen to and follow the Party, focusing on uniting hearts and minds, resolving contradictions, and stimulating motivation, and continuously consolidating the Party's class and mass foundation for governance.

　　We must adhere to the work orientation of centering on workers and wholeheartedly serve the working people and promote their all-around development. We must promote the improvement of labor laws and regulations, improve the system of democratic management of enterprises and institutions with the workers' congress as the basic form, actively build harmonious labor relations, and effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers. Focusing on key aspects such as skills training, income distribution, safe production, and labor protection, we must work to improve the worker rights protection and service system, and wholeheartedly solve the urgent and pressing problems of the broad masses of workers.

　　We must deepen trade union reform and construction and continuously enhance our leadership, organizational capacity, and service capacity. We must comprehensively strengthen Party building within the trade union system and build a high-quality and professional team of trade union cadres who are loyal, clean, and responsible. We must firmly grasp the reform direction of strengthening political nature, advancement, and mass character, strengthen the organizational system, expand the service areas, and innovate work methods, always being the caring and supportive person that workers trust. We will actively carry out external exchanges, interactions, and cooperation and enhance friendship with workers from all countries.

　　The cause of the labor movement is an important component of the Party's cause. Party committees at all levels must strengthen and improve their leadership over trade unions, promptly study and resolve major issues in trade union work, and create good conditions for trade unions to perform their duties.

　　Comrades, friends!

　　100 years ago, at the successful closing of the Second National Labor Congress, the slogan "Struggle, struggle, struggle to the end" resonated throughout the hall, inspiring millions of working people to struggle tirelessly and forge ahead during the turbulent revolutionary years. Today, under the leadership of the Party, more than 1.4 billion people are marching vigorously on a new journey of Chinese-style modernization. The times are different, the mission has changed, but the spirit of hard work, united struggle, and tireless struggle will never change. Let us more closely unite around the Party Central Committee, work down-to-earth, forge ahead with determination, and dedicate ourselves to embracing the new era with creativity and forging new glories with struggle, turning the grand blueprint for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation into reality step by step!