Labor creates happiness, and struggle creates great causes
Editorial Department of Qiushi Magazine
"We workers have power, hey, we workers have power...... High-rise buildings have been built, railways and coal mines have been built, and the world has changed!"
Born in 1947, the song "We Workers Have Power" vividly portrayed the heroic image of the Chinese working class standing up to the sky and the earth, and sang the heroic movement of "glorious labor and great creation". After more than 70 years of singing, its majestic momentum and high-spirited melody still make people passionate and confident, inspiring countless Chinese sons and daughters to fight bravely.
The mainland is a socialist country under the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants. The working class is the most solid and reliable class foundation of our party, and trade union work is a regular and basic task of the party's governance of the country. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, the mainland working class has closely rallied around the Party, shouldered heavy responsibilities and worked hard in promoting high-quality economic and social development, poverty alleviation, fighting the new crown epidemic and various natural disasters, and coping with various risks and challenges, and has made significant contributions to promoting the cause of the Party and the country to achieve historic achievements and historic changes. In the magnificent great practice of the new era, the working class on the mainland has become firmer in its convictions, its quality has been improved in an all-round way, and its appearance has been completely renewed, fully demonstrating the heroic attitude of the masters and playing the main theme of the times that "we workers have power."
"Adhere to the party's overall leadership over the trade unions, and never waver or deviate from it at any time and under any circumstances"; There are thousands of points in the work of trade unions, but the most fundamental one is to unite the broad masses of workers and workers closely around the party and to unite and struggle for the realization of the party's central tasks." On October 23, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping had a collective conversation with members of the new leadership team of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and delivered an important speech. The article "Organizing and Mobilizing Hundreds of Millions of Workers to Actively Participate in the Great Cause of Building a Strong Country and Rejuvenating the Nation" is the main part of the general secretary's important speech. In this important article, the general secretary spoke highly of the role of the mainland working class as the main force in the development of the cause of the party and the state in the past five years, fully affirmed the historic achievements made in the cause of the labor movement in the new era and the all-round progress in the work of the trade unions, and put forward clear requirements for doing a good job in the work of the trade unions in the coming period. It is necessary to deeply study the spirit of this important article of the General Secretary, deeply understand and earnestly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on the work of the working class and trade unions, continue to open up a new situation in the cause of the labor movement and trade union work in the new era and new journey, and unite and strive for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation in an all-round way with Chinese-style modernization.
Our roots are among the working people
"We are on the front line of logistics, but also in the front line of opening up, through your hard work, many commodities across the mountains and seas, to the world, your work is very meaningful. To promote the large-scale opening up of the western region and promote the large-scale development of the western region, logistics is very important, and we must continue to work hard to constantly create new achievements and make new contributions. ”
On April 22, 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Chongqing Railway Container Center Station to listen to the introduction of cargo distribution, transportation routes, operating costs and benefits, and had cordial exchanges with truck drivers, train drivers, stevedores, and station managers, asking them about their work intensity, labor protection, holiday rest and income.
"Talking to the general secretary has a very warm feeling. Wang Haixiang, a staff member of Chongqing Central Station of China Railway Container Transportation Co., Ltd., said that when he first met the general secretary, he was very nervous, but after talking with him, the tension was slowly replaced by a warm feeling.
"Our roots are rooted in the working people", "we will always be ordinary members of the working people", "glory belongs to the laborers, and happiness belongs to the laborers". From deeply cultivating the grassroots to leading China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always maintained the true character of workers, always insisted on "standing on the side of the majority of working people", and stood together, wanted to be together, and worked together with working people.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core attaches great importance to the work of the working class and trade unions. Congratulatory letters, replies letters, and instructions and instructions have pointed out the direction for the party's labor movement and trade union work, and given tremendous encouragement, demonstrating the deep friendship of the leaders of major parties and major countries for the working class and their earnest concern for the work of trade unions.
From in-depth investigation and research at the grassroots level to presiding over relevant meetings, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always paid great attention to the development of the masses of workers——
On the eve of International Labor Day in 2013, the general secretary came to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions to celebrate May Day with representatives of national model workers and talk about the Chinese dream. The general secretary stressed that to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must wholeheartedly rely on the working class, consolidate the leading class position of the working class, and give full play to the role of the working class as the main force.
In September 2020, before the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the General Secretary presided over a symposium of grassroots representatives in Changsha, Hunan Province, to listen to the opinions and suggestions of grassroots representatives such as migrant workers, courier boys, and online store owners on the preparation of the "14th Five-Year Plan". "Everyone is in the front line of reform, development and production, participating in economic and social life most directly, contacting the masses most often, and having the most real perception of the effectiveness of the party's line, principles and policies, and putting forward opinions and suggestions that can be closer to the reality of the grassroots and reflect the voice of the masses. ”
On April 27, 2022, the first Great Power Craftsman Innovation Exchange Conference was grandly opened. This is a grand event to pay tribute to model workers and craftsmen, exchange innovative achievements, and improve the skills and quality of employees. The general secretary sent a congratulatory letter, emphasizing that "the contingent of skilled workers is an important force supporting China's manufacturing and China's creation", and that the mainland working class and the broad masses of laborers should "study hard, study deeply, be brave in innovation, dare to be the first, and constantly improve the level of technical skills".
Coming to the front-line workers at the grassroots level again and again, asking about the warmth, listening to the suffering, and encouraging enthusiasm, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been very concerned about the protection of the rights and interests of workers——
"Migrant workers are a new type of labor force that has emerged since the reform and opening up, and they are an important force in building the country, and the whole society must care about and care for migrant workers";
"Pay attention to front-line workers, migrant workers, workers in difficulty and other groups, improve the system, remove obstacles that hinder workers from participating in development and sharing the fruits of development, and strive to enable workers to achieve decent work and all-round development";
"It is necessary to improve the social security system for multi-channel flexible employment, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of truck drivers, courier boys, takeaway delivery workers, etc."
Respecting model workers, carrying forward the spirit of model workers, labor spirit, and craftsman spirit, General Secretary Xi Jinping is here-
"The whole society should respect model workers, carry forward the spirit of model workers, and make honest work and diligent work become a common practice";
From July 28 to 30, 2023, the 2nd Great Craftsman Innovation Exchange Conference and Great Craftsman Forum with the theme of "Ingenuity Building Dreams and Skills Serving the Country" hosted by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Beijing Municipal People's Government was held at the Beijing Exhibition Center. The conference focused on displaying the innovative achievements of craftsmen and craftsmen in major countries, the outstanding technological innovation of employees and the achievements of the "five small" activities of employees, and the innovation achievements of women craftsmen, and displayed more than 1,200 innovative achievements of employees. The picture shows that on July 30, the audience visited the exhibition area of "Great Country Craftsmen". China News Service Chen Xiaogen/photo
"The spirit of model workers, the spirit of labor, and the spirit of craftsmen are the vivid embodiment of the national spirit with patriotism as the core and the spirit of the times with reform and innovation as the core, and are a powerful spiritual driving force that inspires the whole party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country to move forward bravely through thick and thin";
"The people of all ethnic groups in the country should learn from the model workers, take them as an example, give full play to the spirit of seizing the day, and jointly devote themselves to the grand cause of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
Proceeding from the overall development of the cause of the Party and the country, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a series of important speeches on the Party's labor movement and trade union work. A series of important instructions have been issued, stressing that it is necessary to uphold the party's leadership over the cause of the labor movement and the work of trade unions, that trade unions must always maintain the fine tradition of consciously accepting the party's leadership and unswervingly follow the path of development of socialist trade unions with Chinese characteristics; adhere to the fundamental principle of relying on the working class wholeheartedly, consolidate the leading class position of the working class, and give full play to the role of the working class as the main force; firmly grasp the theme of the times of striving for the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, closely focus on the overall situation of the work of the party and the state, organize and lead the broad masses of workers and workers to make contributions to the realization of development goals; strengthen the ideological and political guidance of the working masses and guide the working masses to listen to the partyWe should follow the party and consolidate the class and mass foundation of the party's ruling power; deepen the reform of the construction of the ranks of industrial workers and strive to build a high-quality labor force; vigorously carry forward the spirit of model workers, the spirit of labor, and the spirit of craftsmen, and rely on labor to create and solidly promote Chinese-style modernization; adhere to the worker-centered work orientation, and earnestly realize, safeguard, and develop the legitimate rights and interests of the working class and the broad masses of laborers; focus on maintaining and enhancing the political, advanced, and mass nature, deeply promote the reform and innovation of trade unions, and improve the extensive contacts. A trade union work system that serves employees.
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on the work of the working class and trade unions has profoundly answered the directional, fundamental and strategic major questions of why we should rely on the working class wholeheartedly, how to rely on the working class wholeheartedly, what kind of trade unions to build, and how to build trade unions in the new era, raising our party's understanding of the regularity of the labor movement and trade union work to a new height, and providing a fundamental basis for the development of the party's labor movement and the work of trade unions in the new era.
Unswervingly, listen to the party and follow the party
"The Communists are not a special party in opposition to other workers' parties. They do not have any interests that are different from those of the proletariat as a whole." In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels profoundly expounded on the unity of the interests of the Communist Party and the working class.
Lenin also pointed out that trade unions are schools for the working masses to learn management, to run the economy, and to communism. He also vividly likened the trade unions and other mass organizations under the leadership of the party to the "transmission device" and "lever" of the proletarian system of political power, whose function is to link the party with the working masses, and stressed that the trade unions should be closely attached to the party, which is the only correct principle.
Looking back on the 100-year history of the Communist Party of China, the Communist Party of China has always regarded leading the workers' movement and guiding the work of trade unions as an important task. The First Resolution of the Communist Party of China, adopted at the First Party Congress, set forth the tasks, principles, and requirements for the development of the workers' movement. On August 11, 1921, the Secretariat of the Chinese Labor Union, the leading organ of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the early days of openly leading the workers' movement, was established in Shanghai. Less than half a year after its founding, the party led the first upsurge of the workers' movement in the country, greatly expanding the political influence of the Communist Party of China and the working class. In May 1925, the Party initiated the convening of the Second National Labor Conference, announcing the formal establishment of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, marking the political and organizational unity of the national trade unions of the working class under the leadership of the Party, and opening a new chapter in the Chinese workers' movement. Many of our party's early leaders, such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Li Lisan, Deng Zhongxia, Su Zhaozheng, Cai Hesen, and Zhao Shiyan, personally led the workers' movement, organized workers to establish trade unions, and many even served as leaders of trade union organizations. Over the past 100 years, under the banner of the party, the working class and the broad masses of laborers have forged ahead and made meritorious contributions around the party's central tasks in various historical periods, and have written magnificent chapters for national independence, the people's liberation, the country's prosperity and strength, and the people's happiness.
"The cause of the labor movement on the mainland has developed under the leadership of the party, and the trade unions are mass organizations of the working class under the leadership of the party. In the important article "Organizing and Mobilizing Hundreds of Millions of Workers to Actively Participate in the Great Cause of Building a Strong Country and National Rejuvenation", General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly emphasized the need to adhere to the party's overall leadership over trade unions. The most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and the Party is the highest political leading force. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the general secretary has repeatedly made important instructions and put forward clear requirements for trade unions to consciously accept the party's leadership, emphasizing that "trade union work is an important part of the party's mass work and mass work, and is a regular and basic work of the party's governance of the country". To adhere to the correct political orientation is to uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system", "on the fundamental issue of upholding the party's leadership, trade unions must take a clear-cut stand and take a firm stand", "trade union work is mass work, which is in essence political work, and stressing politics is the first requirement".
Upholding the party's leadership is not abstract and vague, and cannot be reduced to a mere formality, but must be comprehensively and effectively implemented in the entire process and in all aspects of trade union work. In this important article, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward four clear requirements for adhering to the party's overall leadership over trade unions on the new journey: first, we must firmly safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized and unified leadership, and always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee in terms of ideology, politics and action, so as to ensure the correct direction of trade union work; Fourth, it is necessary to strengthen ideological and political guidance, do a good job in the ideological and political work of the workers, educate and guide the broad masses of workers to unswervingly listen to the party and follow the party, and ensure that the working class is always the most solid and reliable class foundation of our party. The general secretary also particularly stressed that in establishing trade unions in new economic organizations, new social organizations, and new employment groups, it is necessary to take a clear-cut stand and uphold the party's leadership from the very beginning.
Give full play to the role of the working class as the main force
In the early morning, the genius of Chuanshan Port Area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang Province was slightly bright, with a dark face and a neat flat head, Zhu Shijie, a national model worker, appeared at the wharf early and climbed into the bridge crane driver's cab suspended 49 meters in the air.
The bridge crane operated by Zhu Shijie is the largest and tallest mechanical equipment on the wharf. It seems to be a simple grasp and hanging, but in fact, it requires extremely high precision, just like "threading a needle" in the air. As an excellent bridge crane driver, Zhu Shijie once could lift 185 containers per hour, a number that set a new world record at that time. "On average, one container comes in and out every second. Zhu Shijie proudly introduced that the container throughput of Ningbo Zhoushan Port ranks third in the world, and the cargo throughput has ranked first in the world for 14 consecutive years.
On March 29, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Ningbo Zhoushan Port for inspection. "The general secretary told me to play a good role as a model worker and bring out more model workers. This entrustment made Zhu Shijie full of energy. Over the past 4 years, the "Zhu Shijie Bridge Crane Operation Method" has been continuously upgraded and iterated, and a group of high-skilled talents led by provincial model workers have come out of the team.
On April 10, 2024, in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, the construction of the Baotou West Upward Line, one of the key control projects of the Baotou Hub Project introduced by the Baoyin High-speed Railway, was completed. The completion of the construction marks the significant progress of the Baotou high-speed railway into the Baotou hub Baotou station renovation project, laying a solid foundation for the opening of the Baoyin high-speed railway. The picture shows workers working on the upward line of Baoxi in the early morning of April 10. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Lei
"Our modernization is both the hardest and the greatest. From this point of view, it is indispensable to closely rely on the working class, which represents the advanced productive forces," and "no matter how the times change and no matter how society changes, our party's fundamental principle of wholeheartedly relying on the working class must not be forgotten or diluted, and the status and role of the working class on the mainland cannot be shaken or ignored." Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly made profound expositions on closely relying on the working class and giving full play to the role of the main force of the working class. In the important article "Organizing and Mobilizing Hundreds of Millions of Workers to Actively Participate in the Great Cause of Strengthening the Country and National Rejuvenation", the general secretary further pointed out that the trade union should organize and mobilize hundreds of millions of workers to forge ahead on a new journey and make contributions to the new era, and actively participate in the great cause of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, the working class of the mainland has actively participated in the fiery practice of carrying out great struggles, building great projects, advancing great causes, and realizing great dreams with a high degree of ownership. In the process of promoting social development and progress, the working class on the mainland has also continued to grow and develop, and has become an inseparable and unified whole that includes industrial workers, other workers, intellectuals, and management cadres, and has become an inseparable unified whole that includes labor and work in enterprises, institutions, and organs under various ownership systems, and is an inseparable unified whole of intellectual and manual laborers. According to the 9th National Workforce Survey conducted by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions in 2022, the total number of employees in the country reached about 402 million, including 84 million new employment workers and 293 million migrant workers, with an average age of 38.3 years and an average of 13.8 years of education.
"There are thousands of points in the work of trade unions, and the most fundamental one is to unite the broad masses of workers and workers closely around the party and unite and struggle for the realization of the party's central tasks. "Firmly grasping the theme of the times and always striving for the party's central tasks in different historical periods is the fine tradition and valuable experience of the mainland workers' movement. In this important article, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the need to adhere to the fundamental principle of wholeheartedly relying on the working class, fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the broad masses of workers, and actively devote themselves to the great cause of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.
First, it is necessary to focus on implementing the new development concept, building a new development pattern, and promoting high-quality development, carry out various forms of labor and skill competitions extensively and in-depth, stimulate the labor enthusiasm and creative potential of the majority of employees, and give full play to the role of the main force in all walks of life and fields.
Second, we should vigorously carry forward the spirit of model workers, labor spirit, and craftsman spirit, give full play to the exemplary and leading role of model workers and craftsmen, and encourage the majority of employees to achieve their dreams in hard work, honest work, and creative labor.
Third, it is necessary to focus on the in-depth implementation of the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the country with talents, and the strategy of innovation-driven development, deepen the reform of the construction of the ranks of industrial workers, accelerate the construction of an army of knowledge-based, skilled, and innovative industrial workers, and cultivate more craftsmen and high-skilled talents from major countries.
To be the most reliable "mother's family" of the workers
"Which sequence does your job title take?"
On the morning of October 17, 2022, when General Secretary Xi Jinping participated in the discussion of the Guangxi delegation to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he cordially asked Zheng Zhiming, who was sitting opposite and wearing workshop uniforms.
Master Zheng, who has worked in the front line for more than 20 years and has developed exquisite skills, reported to the general secretary: "Our country has introduced a policy to break the ceiling, and I have just been rated as a special technician and a senior engineer. The party's policies have given our workers who have graduated from vocational high schools a good way out. This is something that I never thought of before. ”
"How's your income now?"
Hearing this question, Master Zheng replied loudly: "Very good! I am an annual salary, and I am at the same level as the middle-level cadres of the company. ”
On March 6, 2024, the launching ceremony of the 2024 Shaanxi Trade Union "Spring Delivery" Employment Service Month organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Federation of Trade Unions was held in Xi'an. The on-site job fair held in conjunction with the launching ceremony attracted about 200 family units and provided more than 5,000 jobs. The picture shows job seekers communicating with company staff at the on-site job fair that day. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Bowen
"The working class and the broad masses of laborers are the main creators of social wealth, and the promotion of common prosperity for all the people has made more obvious and substantial progress, which must first be embodied in the hundreds of millions of workers. In the important article "Organizing and Mobilizing Hundreds of Millions of Workers to Actively Participate in the Great Cause of Building a Strong Country and National Rejuvenation", General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly demanded that "trade unions, as representatives and defenders of the interests of employees, should conscientiously perform their basic duties of rights protection services, strive to solve practical problems related to the vital interests of the masses of workers, and pay special attention to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of workers in the new form of employment"; It is necessary to strengthen the democratic management of enterprises and institutions, unblock the channels for the expression of employees' demands, guide employees to express their interests in a rational and orderly manner in accordance with the law, protect their own rights and interests, and promote the construction of harmonious labor relations." These important instructions fully demonstrate General Secretary Xi Jinping's concern and care for the masses of workers, clarify the theoretical and practical issues such as what trade unions should do, what they can do, and how to do well in promoting the realization of common prosperity, and point out the direction for doing a good job in trade union rights protection services.
Since its establishment, China's trade unions have taken wholeheartedly serving the masses of workers and earnestly safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the masses of workers as their main responsibility and main business. The Constitution of Chinese Trade Unions clearly stipulates that Chinese trade unions "are the bridge and link between the Party and the masses of workers, an important social pillar of state power, and the representatives of the interests of members and workers." On the new journey, the trade union must hold high the banner of safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the workers, and strive to solve the most direct and realistic interests of the workers, so that the workers can truly feel that the trade union is the home of the workers and the trade union cadres are the most reliable "mother's family".
In this important article, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward clear requirements: continue to deepen the reform and construction of trade unions, firmly establish a clear orientation of grasping the grassroots, consolidate the grassroots foundation, stimulate the vitality of the grassroots, and constantly enhance the leadership, organization, and service of the grassroots trade unions; improve the existing organizational foundation, continue to promote the establishment and membership of new economic organizations, new social organizations, and new employment groups, and expand the coverage of trade union organizations; innovate work methods, and strive to provide accurate and accurate services for the masses of workers; Attentive service. The general secretary also put forward requirements for trade union cadres to fulfill their duties, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions to build itself, the party committees (party groups) at all levels to strengthen their leadership over trade unions and trade union work, and governments at all levels to play a good role.
The new era has given the working class a new mission and called for new actions in trade union organizations. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, hundreds of millions of employees will work honestly, work diligently, innovate and dare to be the first, which will surely effectively promote the majestic giant ship of Chinese-style modernization to ride the wind and waves and sail away!
Source: "Seeking Truth" 2024/09
Author: Editorial Department of Qiushi Magazine