Trade Union Congress (Burma)
Encyclopedia
The Trade Union Congress (Burma) was a central trade union
organization in Burma. The TUC(B) was founded by the Socialist Party
in November 1945, in an attempt to counter the influence of the communist
-led All Burma Trade Union Congress
. Ba Cho
was the President of TUC(B). The TUC(B) was an affiliate of the governing Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
.
In 1949 Thakin Lwin
became the president of the TUC(B). Under Lwin's leadership, the TUC(B) steered towards an openly communist line. This shift could be seen in debates on whether the TUC(B) should join the World Federation of Trade Unions
. At the May Day
rally of 1950, TUC(B) demonstrators had carried large portraits of Karl Marx
, Engels
, Vladimir Lenin
, Joseph Stalin
and Mao Zedong
. In his speech at the rally, Lwin publicly declared that TUC(B) followed the 'communist party line' and said that the organisation should join the WFTU. He harshly condemned the policy of the Burmese government of accepting British financial aid. But he also denounced the White Flag Communist Party
, Red Flag Communist Party and Josip Broz Tito
as 'deviationists'. Lwin's speech made the ongoing division in the Socialist Party public.
Lwin's May Day speech had political repercussions, but did not result in any immediate disciplinary action from the Socialist Party or the AFPFL. However, when the TUC(B) vice-president and AFPFL Member of Parliament Thakin Hla Kywe lashed out at the governments support for the Korean War
in September 1950, the AFPFL decided to suspend the TUC(B) from the AFPFL. The AFPFL demanded that Lwin and Hla Kywe be removed from their positions in order for the TUC(B) to be reintegrated into the AFPFL. The TUC(B) complied and demoted Lwin and Hla Kywe. Following this, Lwin and other leftists broke with the Socialist Party and formed the Burma Workers and Peasants Party. In 1951, the socialist leader Ba Swe became the President of TUC(B).
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
organization in Burma. The TUC(B) was founded by the Socialist Party
Burma Socialist Party
The Burma Socialist Party, initially known as the People's Freedom Party was a political party in Burma. BSP was the dominant party in Burmese politics after 1948. It was the dominant political force inside the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League.The party was founded in September 1945. It was a...
in November 1945, in an attempt to counter the influence of the communist
Communist Party of Burma
The Communist Party of Burma is the oldest existing political party in Burma. The party is unrecognised by the Burmese authorities, rendering it illegal; so it operates in a clandestine manner, often associating with insurgent armies along the border of People's Republic of China...
-led All Burma Trade Union Congress
All Burma Trade Union Congress
The All Burma Trade Union Congress was a central trade union organisation in Burma. ABTUC was founded on January 30, 1940. ABTUC had its origins in the All Burma Labour Conference, which had been assembled by the Thakins in July 1939...
. Ba Cho
Ba Cho
Ba Cho was a Burmese newspaper publisher and politician who served as the Minister of Information in Myanmar's pre-independence government. Ba Cho and six other cabinet ministers were assassinated on 19 July 1947 in Yangon...
was the President of TUC(B). The TUC(B) was an affiliate of the governing Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League , or hpa hsa pa la by its Burmese acronym, was the main political party in Burma from 1945 until 1962...
.
In 1949 Thakin Lwin
Thakin Lwin
Thakin Lwin was a Burmese politician and trade unionist, writer and journalist. He was a leading member of the anti-colonial Dobama Asiayone movement, a parliamentarian, the president of the Trade Union Congress and a prominent leader of the Burma Workers and Peasants Party.-Early life:Lwin was...
became the president of the TUC(B). Under Lwin's leadership, the TUC(B) steered towards an openly communist line. This shift could be seen in debates on whether the TUC(B) should join the World Federation of Trade Unions
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
. At the May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
rally of 1950, TUC(B) demonstrators had carried large portraits of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
, Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. In his speech at the rally, Lwin publicly declared that TUC(B) followed the 'communist party line' and said that the organisation should join the WFTU. He harshly condemned the policy of the Burmese government of accepting British financial aid. But he also denounced the White Flag Communist Party
Communist Party of Burma
The Communist Party of Burma is the oldest existing political party in Burma. The party is unrecognised by the Burmese authorities, rendering it illegal; so it operates in a clandestine manner, often associating with insurgent armies along the border of People's Republic of China...
, Red Flag Communist Party and Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
as 'deviationists'. Lwin's speech made the ongoing division in the Socialist Party public.
Lwin's May Day speech had political repercussions, but did not result in any immediate disciplinary action from the Socialist Party or the AFPFL. However, when the TUC(B) vice-president and AFPFL Member of Parliament Thakin Hla Kywe lashed out at the governments support for the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in September 1950, the AFPFL decided to suspend the TUC(B) from the AFPFL. The AFPFL demanded that Lwin and Hla Kywe be removed from their positions in order for the TUC(B) to be reintegrated into the AFPFL. The TUC(B) complied and demoted Lwin and Hla Kywe. Following this, Lwin and other leftists broke with the Socialist Party and formed the Burma Workers and Peasants Party. In 1951, the socialist leader Ba Swe became the President of TUC(B).