Confederation of Trade Unions of Yugoslavia explained

The Confederation of Trade Unions of Yugoslavia (SSJ) was a mass organization in SFR Yugoslavia that operated as both a centralized body of trade unions and a socio-political organ of the Yugoslav government. It existed as one of the most powerful organizations within the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia, the popular front of the ruling League of Communists. In addition to assisting in the implementation of the Party's domestic labor programs, the SSJ actively sent labor delegations abroad to other countries, with 190 such delegations having been sent in the year 1959 alone.^[2] The organization maintained relations with both Western and Eastern labor unions and represented Yugoslavia at the International Labour Organization.^[3]

The SSJ was dissolved and succeeded by numerous smaller organizations across the six Yugoslav republics shortly before the Yugoslav Wars in 1990:

• Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia
• Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia
• Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Montenegro
• Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia
• Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia

Affiliates

Union	Founded	Left	Reason left	Membership (1954)[4]	Membership (1965)[5]	Membership (1990)[6]
Association of Barber and Wig Workers of Yugoslavia		1947	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Association of Domestic Auxiliary Staff of Yugoslavia		1947	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Association of Educators of Pre-School Institutions				735	N/A	N/A
Association of Teachers of Special Schools	1952	1959	Merged	639	N/A	N/A
Association of Teachers of Vocational Schools	1952	1959	Merged	4,485	N/A	N/A
Association of University Teachers	1952	1959	Merged	1,982	N/A	N/A
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	250,000
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	255,000
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	650,000
Communal Enterprise Workers' Union	1945	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Craft Workers' Union	1947	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1945	1946	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1978	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	430,000
Energy Workers' Union		1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	180,000
Federation of Artists and Sculptors				535	N/A	N/A
Federation of Associations of Pensioners				244,624	N/A	N/A
Federation of Journalists				2,000	N/A	N/A
Federation of Librarians				579	N/A	N/A
Federation of Museum Societies				300	N/A	N/A
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	320,000
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	421,000
	1945	1946	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	980,000
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	130,000
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	300,000
	1978	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	520,000
	1946	1949	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1974	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	N/A	480,000
Union of Administrative and Judicial Workers	1974	1978	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1959	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	373,000	525,000
	1945	1959	Merged	84,792	N/A	N/A
Union of Chemical Industry Workers	1945	1959	Merged	37,759	N/A	N/A
	1955	1963	Merged	131,986	N/A	N/A
	1945	1990	SSJ dissolved	155,410	387,000	680,000
Union of Cultural and Art Institution Workers	1951	1963	Merged	11,137	N/A	N/A
Union of Educational and Scientific Workers of Yugoslavia	1945	1963	Merged	48,394	N/A	N/A
Union of Financial Officials	1945	1949	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1945	1959	Merged	57,437	N/A	N/A
	1963	1974	Split	N/A	1,191,000	N/A
Union of Maritime Workers	1945	1959	Merged	9,591	N/A	N/A
	1945	1963	Merged	149,436	N/A	N/A
	1955	1959	Merged	127,940	N/A	N/A
Union of Metallurgical Workers and Employees	1950	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1959	1963	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Mining Workers	1945	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Monetary and Financial Workers	1974	1978	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Employees	1945	1959	Merged	21,432	N/A	N/A
Union of Print and Paper Workers	1945	1963	Merged	20,369	N/A	N/A
	1945	1963	Merged	62,435	N/A	N/A
	1963	1974	Split	N/A	516,000	N/A
	1945	1959	Merged	112,186	N/A	N/A
	1963	1974	Split	N/A	499,000	N/A
	1949	1963	Merged	137,551	N/A	N/A
	1955	1963	Merged	108,283	N/A	N/A
Union of Trade Workers	1945	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1959	1990	SSJ dissolved	N/A	306,000	520,000
Union of Transport Workers	1945	1959	Merged	42,076	N/A	N/A
	1945	1963	Merged	94,337	N/A	N/A
Union of Workers and Employees of the Catering and Tourism Economy	1945	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Workers and Employees of the Leather Processing Industry	1945	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Workers and Employees of the Textile and Clothing Industry	1945	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Workers and Employees of the Tobacco Industry	1945	1948	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Workers and Employees of Utility Companies and Institutions	1945	1955	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Workers in Culture, Arts, Radio and Television	1974	1978	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
Union of Workers in Education and Science	1974	1978	Merged	N/A	N/A	N/A
	1955	1963	Merged	132,916	N/A	N/A

Notes and References

1. Book: Directory of Yugoslav Officials . 1985 . 141.
2. Book: Charles . Zalar . United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary . Yugoslav Communism: A Critical Study . 1961 . U.S. Government Printing Office . 232–234.
3. Book: Country reports on economic policy and trade practices: report submitted to the Committee on Foreign Relations, Committee on Finance of the U.S. Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives by the Department of State, in accordance with Section 2202 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 . 1989 . U.S. Government Printing Office . 594.
4. Book: Directory of Labor Organizations: Europe . 2 . 1955 . United States Department of Labor . Washington DC . 30.1 - 30.11.
5. Book: Directory of Labor Organizations: Europe . 2 . 1965 . United States Department of Labor . Washington DC . 30.1 - 30.6.
6. Book: The Europa World Year Book . 1991 . Europa Publications . 3092.