Central Trade Union Committee

in the USSR, the highest executive body of a branch, or sectoral, trade union (that is, a trade union for a particular branch, or sector of the national economy) in the intervals between the union’s congresses. The central trade union committee is elected by the trade union congress, which is the supreme body of the trade union. The committee is accountable to the congress and to the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. Plenums of the central trade union committee meet at least once every six months. To direct the work of the trade union between plenums, the central committee elects a presidium consisting of a chairman, secretaries, and members.

The central trade union committee guides the work of the trade union and represents the union in discussions with government, economic, and public agencies on questions of production, labor, wages, living standards, and culture. It directs socialist competition and takes part in the planning and review of new wage rates and scales, salary levels, and systems of remuneration and bonuses for industrial and nonindustrial workers. The committee also reviews proposals made by ministries and agencies on the time to be allotted to work and leisure and on labor protection regulations and safety requirements.

The central trade union committee determines the structure of the trade union and forms the union’s local bodies. Together with the trade union councils, the committee directs the election, appointment, and training of its full-time functionaries. It publishes the newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials of the trade union. The committee also develops and maintains contacts with the trade union’s counterparts in foreign countries.