Golden Jubilee is not only a celebration and a significant milestone – it is, above all, a pinnacle from which new heights become visible. It is a grand opportunity to look back on the past, to select and take all that is best for the present and the future.

A glance into the past shows that trade unions have truly withstood the test of time and once passed a rigorous exam of strength. And the “secret” of their longevity lies in the fact that, no matter how the historical situation changes, the main concern of trade unions has always been the protection of the legal rights and interests of the laboring individual.

Allow me to illustrate this conclusion with some historical examples.

The century-long period of trade union activity in Kyrgyzstan can today be conditionally divided into three main periods defined by the socio-economic conditions of the country’s development.

The First Period is from 1905 to 1917. The trade union movement in Kyrgyzstan emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and is closely linked with the history of the struggle of the working people of the Russian Empire for their socio-political and economic rights—a deeply backward periphery that remained so until October 1917. At that time, the territory that is now the republic was dominated by patriarchal-feudal relations with elements of early capitalism.

Harsh living conditions and widespread poverty forced people to fight for their very existence. Despite their small number, wage workers—following the example of the Russian proletariat—began to unite against tsarism and local oppressors. In such an atmosphere, the first trade union organization was established in 1905 at the Kyzyl-Kiya mine. This small group of workers decided to make monthly contributions to a common fund to help those in need; but most importantly, the organization set itself the task of fighting for improved working conditions.

By the spring of 1905, workers from Kyzyl-Kiya and Sulukty went on strike demanding an eight‑hour workday, higher wages, the abolition of fines, reduction of overtime, and the freedoms of speech and assembly. Following the miners, workers at nearby mining-industrial enterprises also struck. April 18 (old style; May 1) was celebrated as Freedom Day—with rallies and demonstrations in Osh, Pishpek, and at the mines of Kyzyl-Kiya and Sulukty.

Even though the defeat of the 1905–1907 bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia ushered in a period of reaction and mass persecution of the labor movement that negatively affected our land, trade unions did not cease their struggle. Mass strikes in Sulukty and Kyzyl-Kiya occurred in 1910, 1912, and 1914, and agitation and propaganda among workers and peasants for improving their living conditions were carried out everywhere.

Thus, the first experience of mutual support in the struggle for their rights was acquired.

The movement for the organization of trade unions received a new impetus after the February Revolution in Russia. In the spring and summer of 1917, trade unions emerged among miners in the region (such as “Gornorabochiy”), the Pishpek “Union of Workers and Artisans,” unions of employees including teachers in the Chuy region, workers and hired poor (often referred to colloquially as “chai rikers”) in Osh, the “Bukara” Union in the Pishpek district, and others.

The Second Period occurs during the period of development under Soviet rule, when trade unions worked under the direct leadership of the Communist Party.

In 1918–1919, professional trade unions were established in all districts. Among the first large-scale trade unions organized on a production basis were those of builders, miners, metallurgists, printers, transport workers, leather workers, seamstresses, educators, postal and telegraph workers, medical and sanitary workers, and workers of land and forest management. By early 1920, these unions collectively numbered around 10,300 members.

After the October Revolution, the role of trade unions in society was defined by the policy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), which assumed the right to direct all socio‑political life and assigned trade unions the role of its assistant and support among the masses.

Despite being completely subordinate to the Party, this role provided trade unions broad rights in managing state and public affairs and in resolving issues vital to the interests of workers.

Using these rights, from 1918 to 1925 the trade unions of Kyrgyzstan actively participated in the struggle for the establishment and consolidation of Soviet power, in defeating foreign interveners and internal counter-revolution in Central Asia, and in restoring the national economy. They gained valuable experience in organizational and educational work among the people.

One of the most memorable milestones in the history of the union movement was the First Constituent Congress of Trade Unions held from March 31 to April 3, 1925, which for the first time created a unified trade union organization – the Regional Trade Union Council. At that congress, Pavel Ivanovich Michurin, the authorized secretary of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (ACCTU) and a native of the Moscow proletariat, was elected the first chairman of the Trade Union Council of the autonomous region.

The need for the creation of a Regional Trade Union Council arose primarily with the establishment of the Kyrgyz Autonomous Region within the RSFSR on October 14, 1924, and the existence at that time of numerous production‑based trade union organizations. In subsequent years, these organizations eventually evolved into republican sectoral trade union committees.

The First Congress underscored the necessity of fully involving workers in production and the professional movement—especially local nationalities—activating the work of production councils, enhancing cultural and educational initiatives, fighting against illiteracy among trade union members and the adult population, and strengthening international solidarity among workers.

With the formation of the Kirghiz ASSR, the Regional Council was later transformed in 1992 into the Republican Trade Union Council.

Today, looking back through the pages of history, one cannot help but feel pride in trade unions—they have never been indifferent to the country’s concerns and the interests of the laboring people.

During industrialization, trade union work was built under the slogan “Facing Production” and contributed to the creation and education of a working cadre, the opening of short‑term training courses for workers in various branches of the planned economy, on‑the‑job training, the mobilization of workers to boost productivity, and the fight for cost savings.

In the 1930s–1940s, trade unions primarily focused on organizing socialist competitions, the strike movement, mass‑production and cultural‑educational work, as well as on the preparation and promotion of managerial, production, and engineering‑technical cadres and skilled workers, and on combating illiteracy.

During this same period, trade unions also helped identify and promote talented workers. For example, from March 1939 to March 1940, 1,500 individuals—mostly exemplary workers—were nominated for party, Soviet, Komsomol, and trade union activities in the republic. A striking example is the life and work of the legendary Torobay Kulatov. Born the son of a poor peasant, he experienced the hardships of day‑labor from childhood, worked ten years on railway construction and in the Kyzyl-Kiya mines, and gained his first experience in trade union and economic work there. In 1937 he was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR; in July 1938, at the age of 30, he became Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Kyrgyz SSR; and from 1947 to 1978 he served as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the republic—forty years in the highest echelons of power during some of the most challenging times.

During the Great Patriotic War, the republic’s trade unions devoted all their activities to the interests of the front, ensuring the supply of ammunition, uniforms, and food to the army, reorganizing enterprises for the war effort, accommodating relocated enterprises within the republic, and preparing workers. They were directly involved in resettling evacuees from enemy‑occupied territories and in overseeing military units and hospitals.

In the post‑war years, as the economy transitioned to peacetime, the 4th (1946–1950) and 5th (1951–1955) Five‑Year Plans were implemented, and the material and cultural levels of workers and employees improved.

In such an environment, 26 years after the Fifth Congress, the first post‑war (sixth in order) congress was held in June 1958, representing the interests of 287,100 trade union members.

Subsequently, congresses were held regularly according to the timeframes set by the Charter. This period was marked by the further expansion of trade unions’ rights and their influence on the socio‑political life of society. At the same time, trade unions essentially became state‑public organizations, firmly embedded in the administrative‑command system. Acting as a driving force, they undertook everything the Party assigned—from organizing socialist competitions and implementing economic accounting to distributing housing.

Trade unions also devoted considerable resources to protecting the health of workers. They operated five resorts where about 2,300 people could be treated per shift, as well as four rest homes of similar capacity. In total, more than 95,000 people were treated and enjoyed rest on subsidized vouchers in trade union health centers and rest homes annually, while 31,000 people restored their health in 29 sanatoriums and prophylactic institutions after their work shifts.

A turning point in the republic’s trade union activity came with the XVI Congress held in October 1990, which decided to abolish the Kyrgyz Republican Trade Union Council and to establish the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan. From that moment, the third period in the development of the country’s union movement began.

This was not merely a change of title. From that point on, the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan (FTUK) became a voluntary association of professional trade union organizations of workers in accordance with its new Charter—independent of state, economic management bodies, political, and public organizations and movements.

Recent events have shown that trade unions have charted an objectively correct course in reorganizing management forms and the organization of the union movement in the country.

Ten months later, in August 1991, our country gained independence and embarked on the path of building a democratic state and a market economy. The fundamental change in the way of life, along with new economic, production, and labor relations, presented the union movement with complex tasks that had to be solved on the fly—acting on intuition and adapting to new realities, especially during the period from 1991 to 1997. Today, trade unions have gradually adapted to market relations and, as a social institution, are striving to strengthen their status in labor organizations, becoming a strong and authoritative agent that successfully defends the collective interests of workers. The primary function of trade unions has become the protection of the labor and socio‑economic rights of wage workers.

This work is carried out along the following lines:

Legislative work aimed at legally enshrining labor and social guarantees for workers and lobbying draft laws in both the Parliament and the Government;

Development of social partnership on the principles of tripartism;

Oversight to ensure compliance with labor legislation at enterprises and organizations;

Raising legal awareness among trade union cadres by clarifying labor law norms to union activists and workers through personal consultations and in the media;

Defending citizens’ rights in court.

The successful fulfillment of trade unions’ functions is supported by the laws adopted by the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic—with the direct participation of state bodies and trade unions—such as the Labor Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, the laws “On Social Partnership in the Field of Labor Relations”, “On Occupational Safety”, “On Collective Agreements”, and, of course, the Law “On Trade Unions”. These legislative acts have effectively established the legal basis for the activities of trade union bodies.

In order to prevent the adoption of laws that would worsen the socio‑economic and labor guarantees for workers, trade union bodies continuously work to improve the quality of legal expertise and the drafting of both new draft laws and existing legislative acts. At the same time, it has become evident that the absence of certain rights for trade unions and legislative initiatives—though to some extent limiting our opportunities—remains a crucial issue requiring special attention. This matter continues to be the most relevant in the activities of trade unions in close cooperation with the Jogorku Kenesh and its deputies.

Today, monitoring compliance with labor legislation, ensuring the timely payment and increased amounts of wages, addressing employment and occupational safety issues, and organizing leisure for workers remain highly relevant.

Trade unions have three main levers of influence on socio‑economic policy—through lobbying in the Government and Parliament, as well as through the system of social partnership. For example, in the agreement signed for 2005–2007, the FTUK succeeded in defending the position that raised the minimum wage to the level of the subsistence minimum.

In short, the activities of trade union bodies remain multifaceted today, requiring daily attention to the needs of the laboring people and, above all, human rights work in the field of labor relations.

The Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan is a major trade union organization in the country and occupies a prominent place among public institutions whose opinions are respected by state bodies and entrepreneurs. Trade unions have successfully adapted to new conditions of activity.

Today they independently determine their course, maintaining a sensible continuity while constantly perfecting their forms and methods of work. It is heartening to note that trade unions have demonstrated political maturity by actively supporting the new leadership of the republic and fully adhering to the course and program aimed at the successful development of our sovereign Kyrgyzstan.