Constitu tion of the Chinese Trade Unions(2008) (Amendment) -- Adopted on 21 October 2008 at the 15th National Congress of Chinese Trade Unions 2008-10-30 Hits:431 General Principles The Chinese trade unions are mass organizations of the Chinese working class under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and formed by the workers of their own free will. They serve as a bridge and link between the Party and workers and an important social pillar of the state power and represent the interests of the trade union members and workers. With the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China as the fundamental principle for their activities and in accordance with the Trade Union Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Constitution of the Chinese Trade Unions, the Chinese trade unions act independently, exercise their rights and carry out their obligations in accordance with the law. The working class is the leading class of China, represents the advanced productive forces and relations of production, serves as the main force in the reform and opening-up and in socialist modernization drive and is a powerful and concentrated social force maintaining the social stability. The Chinese trade unions hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, take Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of “Three Represents” as guidelines, thoroughly carry out the scientific outlook on development, act in accordance with the Party’s basic line of centering on the economic construction, upholding the Four Cardinal Principles and sticking to the reform and opening-up, facilitate the implementation of the Party’s basic guiding principle of ...