General information
Who are we?
The ITUC’s primary mission is the promotion and defence of workers’ rights and interests, through international cooperation between trade unions, global campaigning and advocacy within the major global institutions. The Programme Document adopted at the ITUC founding Congress sets out the Confederation’s overall policy framework. Its main areas of activity include:
+ trade union and human rights
+ economy, society and the workplace
+ equality and non-discrimination
+ international solidarity.
The ITUC adheres to the principles of trade union democracy and independence, as set out in its Constitution. It is governed by four-yearly world congresses, a General Council and an Executive Bureau. The chief executive of the ITUC is its General Secretary Guy Ryder, supported by Deputy General Secretaries Mamounata Cisse and Jaap Wienen.
The ITUC regional organizations are the Asia-Pacific Regional Organization (ITUC-AP), the African Regional Organization (ITUC-AF) and the American Regional Organization (TUCA)
The ITUC also cooperates closely with the European Trade Union Confederation, including through the Pan-European Regional Council, which was created on March 2007.
The ITUC has close relations with the Global Union Federations and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), working together through the Global Unions Council.
The ITUC works closely with the International Labour Organisation. It maintains contacts with several other UN Specialised Agencies.
Along with its Regional Organisations and their sub-offices, the ITUC has offices in Amman, Geneva, Moscow, New York, Sarajevo, Vilnius and Washington DC.
The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates.