The All Pakistan Trade Union Federation ( ur, , APTUF) is a

national trade union center A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. It was formed in 1988 and has 240 affiliated unions, including workers in unorganized sectors such as brick kilns, oil tankers, and the carpet industry. It is the second largest trade union federation in Pakistan. the APTUF is an independent and democratic national trade union federation which organizes workers throughout

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, Sindh, and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

provinces.

Areas of Organization

The APTUF maintains affiliated unions in a variety of industries in both the public and private sector, including: * Agriculture * Chemical * Commercial * Paper & board * Pharmaceuticals * Printing * Railway Workers' Union * Rubber * Shoes * Steel

Women's wing

The APTUF is unique in Pakistan because of the strength of its women's wing. The Women's Wing of the APTUF works to mobilize women workers on trade union platforms. The women leaders in the APTUF have faced many threats from both religious extremists and the government. Although Pakistan does not permit women to participate directly in trade union activities, the Women's Wing uses the strategy of involving family members in the unions to serve as spokespeople for the women. The Pakistani Working Women Organization (WWO) is an independent organization that collaborates with and supports the APTUF.

Work with other unions and international links

The APTUF is a member of the

Pakistan Workers Confederation The Pakistan Workers' Federation (PWF) is a national trade union centre in Pakistan. It is the largest labour organisation in the country and its affiliated unions are among the oldest. The centre itself was created in 1994 through a merger of t ...

and works closely with the ''International Liaison Committee for a Workers' International'' based in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. For example, after the massive earthquake on 9 October 2005 in Pakistan, APTUF asked ''International Liaison Committee for a Workers' International'' for help to contribute medicines, tents, blankets, food, drinking water and clothes.Solidarity Appeal from the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation
Rochdale Online website, Published 13 October 2005, Retrieved 1 March 2018 The APTUF has established close cooperation with other independent pro-workers trade union federations, both in Asia and across the world. These ties serve to promote friendship and the exchange of information, as well as voice solidarity towards other struggles in the labor movement.

References

{{Trade unions in Pakistan navbox Trade unions in Pakistan Trade unions established in 1988