The General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) is the national trade union center in Jordan. It was founded in 1954. With a membership of 135,000 the GFJTU as of 2019, the GFJTU is the sole trade union center in the country with 17 affiliated unions, although affiliation is not mandatory. The GFJTU is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation. The General Federation of Labour Trade Unions is a member of other Arab and International Confederations as well, including the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions. History The GFJTU was established in 1954 through the initiative of six Jordanian Labour trade unions. Their aim was to reinforce the Jordanian Labour Movement, as well as to encourage workers to join trade unions. The General Federation grew from 23 unions in 1957 to 29 unions in 1967, out of a total of 40 at the time. As of 2019, the trade union membership rate in GFJTU was declining significantly during the last two decades from 230,000 in 2001 to 135,000 in 2019, which equals a fall of 41%. Leadership and structure The current leadership of the GFJTU is as follows: President: Mazen Ma’aytah Managing Board: Vice President: Jamil Abdul Rahim Secretary for Financial Affairs: Khaled Abu Mrjob Secretary for External Relations: Haidar Rashid Secretary of Culture and Media: Mahmoud Hiyari Secretary for occupational health and safety: Mohammed Ghanem Secretary for Women and Youth Affairs: Hammam Maaytah Members: Ahmad Abu Khadra, Ali Al-Haded, Fathallah Al-Amrani, Yousf Qanab, Mahmoud Maaytah, Ibrahim Abu Rgeh, Mohammed Al-Zubi, Khalid Zyoud, Khaled Fanatsah, Mahmoud Batosh The election period is every five years. The GFJTU is made up of three organizations: The General Conference, The Central Council, and The Executive Committee. The General Conference, per its charter, is the authority specialized in the formulation of GFJTU policies. During the periods between convening conferences, the Central Council becomes the highest authority. Finally, the Executive Committee, which consists of one representative from each trade union, is the de facto authority of the Federation. The leadership and structure is set out in the Charter of the Federation. Controversies The GFJTU has been criticized by independent unions and by labor rights activists for having "unified, non-democratic and centralized by-laws that are imposed on all trade unions and their general federation". Additionally, the leadership of the GFJTU has been criticized for rejecting proposals for reform that would make the power structure of the