General Confederation of Trade Unions international trade union association

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General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU)

The General Confederation of Trade Unions is an international trade union organization founded 16 April 1992. The GCTU mission is to consolidate the actions of its affiliates to protect the social,  labour, professional, economic and other  legitimate rights and interests of workers in each state where the GCTU has member organizations, the rights and operating guarantees of trade unions activity, and to help strengthen international  labor solidarity.

The GCTU currently affiliates 8 national trade union centers in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and 20 industrial trade union internationals with a total membership of approximately 30 million organised workers.

The Union Council - permanent collegial governing body of the GCTU - is  located in Moscow, Russian Federation.

The General Confederation of Trade Unions is widely recognised at the interstate  level in the Commonwealth of Independent states. It enjoys observer status with the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and is actively involved in the work of the CIS Economic Council, a number of CIS industrial committees, and other statutory bodies of the Commonwealth.

The GCTU maintains business cooperation with the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the CIS Executive Committee as well as the Eurasian Commission of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation. 

The GCTU cooperates with specialized UN organizations. The International Labour Organization has granted the GCTU a regional consultative status for Europe. The GCTU also enjoys a status with the Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations Department of Public Information and the United Nations Economic and Social Council. 



GCTU News

  • GCTU Discusses Amendments to Confederation’s Charter

    On September 15, Moscow hosted a meeting of the Working Group on Preparing Amendments and Additions to the Charter of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) at the Trade Unions Palace of Labor. Participants reviewed proposals from member organizations regarding necessary changes to the Confederation’s founding document.

  • Wage Standards in the CIS Must Reach a New Level

    On September 10, the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) launched the development of a unified methodology for calculating the minimum consumer budget. The first meeting of the GCTU Executive Committee’s temporary working group on this initiative took place in Moscow.

  • A Unified Registry of Collective Agreements Should Be Established in the CIS

    A unified registry of collective agreements in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will enable the regulation of labor relations at a cross-border level, according to the General Confederation of Trade Unions. The proposal by GCTU to include the creation of such a registry in the draft Plan of Activities for the Year of Social Development and Quality of Life in the CIS was approved by participants of the working group of the Advisory Council on Labor, Employment, and Social Protection of the Population of the CIS Member States. The working group meeting took place today at the CIS Executive Committee in Minsk, using video conferencing.