About Us

Building workers’ power and solidarity in Asia and the Pacific
OUR STORY

We build workers’ power and solidarity in Asia-Pacific to collectively fight for the rights of the working people.

The International Trade Union Confederation - Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP) is a regional federation of 62 trade union centres from 36 countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific region, representing an effective membership of over 60 million. 

Building workers’ power and solidarity in the region, the ITUC-Asia Pacific is guided by its profound conviction that democratic and independent trade unions are crucial to upholding the dignity and securing the wellbeing of the working people. It strives for human rights, social justice, gender equality, peace, freedom and democracy. 

Founded on 4 September 2007 in Bangalore, India, the ITUC-Asia Pacific arose from the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions - Asia Pacific Regional Organisation and the Brotherhood of Asian Trade Unions. This came about shortly after the creation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in its Founding Congress on 1-3 November 2006 that brought together the former affiliates of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), as well as other independent trade unions that were not affiliated to any international or regional trade union organisation. Uniting the international trade union movement and strengthening global solidarity were seen as an imperative in tackling the intensifying challenges of globalisation at that time. 

At present, forging international solidarity remains paramount as workers are confronted with major changes in the world of work driven by shrinking civic space, digitalisation, climate change, demographic shifts, and recently, global pandemic.

The ITUC-Asia Pacific is committed to building the capacity of its affiliates, helping trade unions strengthen their profile nationally, assisting affiliates in organising the unorganised workers, and advancing the affiliates’ agenda at the regional and global levels through campaigns and advocacy with regional and international institutions.

Our Constitution

We are guided by the principles enshrined in our Constitution.

The Regional Constitution and Standing Orders (hereinafter, Constitution) establish the fundamental principles that guide and govern the operations of the ITUC-Asia Pacific.

The Constitution was adopted at the Founding Conference of the ITUC-Asia Pacific on 5 September 2007 in Bangalore, India, and was amended in subsequent Regional Conferences in Singapore (11-13 May 2011), in Kochi, India (1-3 August 2015), and in Tokyo, Japan (7-9 October 2019). The latest amendments, which took into account the current realities in the region as well as the recent global trends (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic), were adopted in the recently held 5th Regional Conference in Bangkok, Thailand on 20-22 November 2023.

The Constitution can be downloaded here.


Our Governing Bodies

We are independent and democratic.

The ITUC-Asia Pacific is independent and democratic. Although the ITUC-Asia Pacific is an organic part of the ITUC, it maintains its autonomy in governance and decision-making.

The ITUC-Asia Pacific is governed by the four-yearly Regional Conference, Regional General Council, and the Regional Executive Bureau.

Recognising the important role and representation of women and youth in the trade union movement, the ITUC-Asia Pacific, through the Regional General Council, established the Women’s Committee and the Youth Committee. The Chairs of the two committees also serve as ex-officio members of the Regional General Council with the right to vote.

As of January 2024, the ITUC-AP has a total paying membership of 22,861,075 from 62 affiliated organisations, representing over 24 million working people and an effective membership of 60 million, from 36 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mr Felix Anthony
Mr Felix Anthony
President
Globe
Fiji
FTUC
Mr Shoya Yoshida
Mr Shoya Yoshida
General Secretary
Globe
Japan
ITUC-Asia Pacific
Mr. G. Sanjeeva Reddy
Globe
India
INTUC
Ms. Jyoti Macwan
Globe
India
SEWA
Ms. Elly Rosita Silaban
Globe
Indonesia
KSBSI
Ms. Tomoko Yoshino
Globe
Japan
JTUC
Mr. Kim Dongmyeiong
Globe
Korea
FKTU
Mr. Yang, Kyeong-soo
Globe
Korea
KCTU
Ms. Melissa Ansell-Bridges
Globe
New Zealand
NZCTU
Mr. Shaher Saed
Globe
Palestine
PGFTU
Ms. Mary Liew
Globe
Singapore
SNTUC
Ms. Merita Jegeni Yildiz
Globe
Turkey
HAK-IS
Ms. Jotika Sharma
Globe
Fiji
FTUC
Ms. (Dr.) Zoe Port
Globe
New Zealand
NZCTU
Mr. J. R. Bhosale
Globe
India
HMS
Mr. Sakae Oguma
Globe
Japan
JTUC
Ms. Boonyarat Dudsorn
Globe
Thailand
SERC
Secretariat
Programmes
Patuan Samosir
Senior Director, Organising and Projects
Francis Kim Upgi
Director, Economic and Social Policy
Anna Lee Fos-Tuvera
Director, Gender Equality Activities
Toshitaka Hayashi
Director, Planning and Coordination
S. M. Fahimuddin Pasha
Director, Workers’ Rights
Joy Hernandez
Senior Communications and Advocacy Officer
General Affairs
Joseph Lee
Director
Jessie Chow
Senior Officer
Rozana Bte Rahmat
Junior Officer
Finance
Tee Lee Hong
Senior Director
Christina Pang
Account Executive
Our Affiliates
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Afghanistan
Australia
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Cambodia
Cook Islands
Fiji
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kiribati
Korea
Kuwait
Malaysia
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Philippines
Samoa
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Syria
Taiwan
Thailand
Tonga
Turkey
Vanuatu
Yemen
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