The first professional organizations began to be established in the south of the republic at the mines of Kyzyl-Kiya and Tash-Kumyr starting in 1898. Harsh living conditions and the poverty of the masses pushed them to fight for their existence, which intensified in 1905-1907 under the direct influence of the first bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia. The first organizational formation of a trade union organization took place in Kyzyl-Kiya in 1905. Workers from Kyzyl-Kiya and Suluktu held a strike demanding the establishment of an 8-hour workday, wage increases, the abolition of fines, a reduction in overtime work, as well as freedom of speech and assembly. They issued an appeal for trade union solidarity among the entire working class of the Turkestan General Governorship of Tsarist Russia. All this allowed workers to gain their first experience of mutual support in the struggle for their rights. In the same year, a trade union organization of postal and telegraph workers was established in the Bishkek district within the Turkestan railway. In the spring and summer of 1917, trade unions of miners in the region were formed — "Gornorabochiy," the Bishkek "Union of Workers and Craftsmen," unions of employees of the Chui organization of teachers, workers, and tea workers in Osh, the association of the poor in the Bishkek district — the "Bukara" union, and others.
In 1918-20, professional unions were established in almost all districts. Among the first major trade unions organized by industry were those of builders, metalworkers, printers, tanners, tailors, medical and sanitary workers, land and forestry. By the beginning of 1920, they already numbered 10,300 members. In connection with the national-territorial delimitation of Central Asia and the establishment of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region within the RSFSR on October 14, the opportunity and necessity arose to create a unified regional trade union organization. On December 11, 1924, the "Organizational Bureau" for the creation of the regional council of trade unions was organized in the Revolutionary Committee of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region.
From March 31 to April 3, 1925, the 1st Constituent Congress of Trade Unions of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region took place in Bishkek. The congress was attended by 109 delegates representing 9,243 members of trade unions. The congress elected a Regional Council of Trade Unions, which encompassed 12 regional associations, 4 district departments, and 91 primary trade union organizations. This congress created a unified inter-union association on the scale of the republic for the first time and laid the foundation for the activities of the Federation Council of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan. From the very first days of its organization, the regional council of trade unions actively engaged in building a new society, participated in the economic upturn, the elimination of illiteracy, and the strengthening of solidarity and friendship among peoples. The main strategic task of the trade unions became the social protection of workers in the autonomous region. In 1926, in connection with the transformation of the Kyrgyz Autonomous Region into the Kyrgyz ASSR, canton councils were created instead of district councils, and the district departments were reorganized into republican ones.
The tasks of the trade unions during the period of socialist industrialization were discussed in November 1926 at the 2nd Congress of Trade Unions of the Kyrgyz ASSR. The congress demanded to restructure trade union work under the slogan "facing production," to involve the masses more broadly in the management of production. It approved structural changes in the trade union council. Instead of district councils, 5 cantonal trade union bureaus, 2 district trade union bureaus, and 10 republican departments were created, and instead of thirteen district departments, 31 cantonal departments, 268 factory and plant committees, 160 trade union representatives, and 4 trade union committees were established. In 1926, the Regional Council had 917 trade union activists, and in 1928 — 2,104 members. Changes occurred in the republican departments.
From November 25 to 30, 1928, at the 3rd Congress, the activities of the trade unions were directed towards strengthening grassroots cells, connecting with workers, timely identifying and meeting the cultural and everyday needs and requests of union members, supporting the efforts of economic bodies to increase labor productivity and reduce production costs, and combating mismanagement.
From July 25 to August 5, 1930, the 4th Congress of Trade Unions was held, where the issue of fundamentally restructuring the work of the trade unions of Kyrgyzstan in light of the decisions of the 16th Party Congress was discussed. Based on the decisions of the 4th Congress of Trade Unions, the Plenary of the Kyrgyz Trade Union Federation (February 1931) adopted a resolution "On the Reorganization and Current Tasks of the Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan." On its basis, the disaggregation of the trade unions of the republic was carried out. Instead of the 15 existing unions, 26 sectoral trade unions were organized. After the reorganization of the builders' trade union, two unions emerged: the union of railway, transport, and port construction workers and the union of industrial and communal construction workers. The agricultural and forestry workers' union was divided into the union of MTS workers, the union of agricultural state farm workers, and the union of livestock state farm workers. Other unions and departments of the Kyrgyz Trade Union Federation were also strengthened. Trade unions began to pay significant attention to providing social assistance to workers and employees. In 1932, social insurance covered 107.6 thousand workers. The number of people sent for rest at resorts and recreation homes increased, and the network of cultural and educational institutions of the trade unions expanded. On May 21, 1937, a meeting of the presidium took place, and then on June 1, the 4th Plenary of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (VTsSP) was held. Structural changes in the trade unions were discussed. In all union republics, the trade union federations were liquidated. All trade union affairs began to be handled by sectoral trade union committees, and republican committees functioned autonomously until 1948. In accordance with the decisions of the 19th Plenary of the VTsSP "On the Formation of Councils of Trade Unions in the Republics, Territories, and Regions." On November 15, 1948, the 1st Republican Inter-Union Conference of Trade Unions of the Kyrgyz Republic took place in Bishkek, where regional trade union federations were formed, and in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, the central trade union body — Kyrgyz Trade Union Federation — was established.
In June 1958, the first post-war 6th Congress of Trade Unions of the republic took place, representing the interests of 287.1 thousand trade union members. Until 1987, the 7th to 15th congresses of trade unions of the republic were held regularly within the timeframes established by the Charter.
In January 1987, the 15th Congress of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan took place. Its work coincided with the restructuring of the entire socio-political and economic system of the country. In such a historical context, trade unions sought to preserve all that they had managed to achieve over the years of Soviet power in terms of protecting the legal rights and interests of working people and their families.
The 16th Congress of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan took place in October 1990, on the eve of the collapse of the USSR, which fundamentally differed in the essence of the issues raised and approaches to the fate of the trade union movement. Considering the developing situation in the country, the congress decided to abolish the Kyrgyz Republican Council of Trade Unions and create the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan. Its Charter, Action Program were approved, and tasks for the radical renewal of the activities of trade unions in the republic were defined, and governing bodies were elected. The Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan became a voluntary association of independent professional organizations of workers, created to unite efforts, coordinate actions for more effective protection of the rights and interests of citizens, and solve common tasks.
The next 17th Congress of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan (or the third congress of the Federation of Trade Unions), held on October 6, 1996, analyzed the results of the work of trade unions over the first five years of independence and concluded that in the conditions of a general crisis, trade unions managed to withstand and preserve their organizational foundations, mass character, sectoral and territorial structures, personnel, and material base. Their main function became protective. The Federation of Trade Unions advocates for a socially-oriented market economy, compliance with guarantees for workers, ensuring the necessary material well-being and living standards of people based on production development, for civil peace, national unity, mutual understanding, and stability in society. On October 5, 1998, the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Trade Unions" was adopted. This law provided a strong legal basis for the work of trade unions and broad powers. Since 1997, a General Agreement has been concluded based on tripartism: government — trade unions — employers. The Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan is a member of the General Confederation of Trade Unions and actively participates in its activities. The Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan is one of the founders of the Coordinating Council of Trade Union Centers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Its formation is due to the peculiarities of the socio-economic situation, the common history, and the similarity of the language, customs, traditions, and culture of the peoples of the region. The connection with trade unions from far-abroad countries is expanding.
On September 29, 2000, the 19th Congress of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan took place, at which the program of practical actions of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan for 2001-2005 was adopted, along with amendments and changes to the Charter of the trade unions, covering all aspects of the activities of trade unions in the republic. Currently, the Federation of Trade Unions unites 20 republican sectoral trade unions, 6 regional inter-union associations — regional trade union federations, and 8,060 primary trade union organizations, with 966 thousand trade union members.
