The emergence of trade union organizations originated from the industrial revolution. At that time, more and more farmers left the agriculture on which they depended for a living and poured into the city to work for factory employers in the city, but the wages were low and the working environment was extremely bad. In this environment, individual employees are unable to cope with strong employers, which leads to the emergence of labor strikes and the birth of trade unions.
Trade unions first appeared in Britain in the middle of18th century, and then they were established in other countries, and most of them obtained legal status, which became a common social phenomenon in the world. According to its organizational principles, it can be divided into industrial trade unions and professional trade unions. In the early days of capitalist countries, most trade unions were professional trade unions, and all skilled workers engaged in the same occupation were organized in the same professional trade union; Employees of an enterprise belong to different professional trade unions because of their different occupations. This kind of organization disperses the unity of workers in the same enterprise, which is not conducive to the struggle of the working class. With the development of the workers' movement, organizing trade unions according to industrial principles is gradually accepted by workers, and more and more workers are organized according to the industrial system. All employees of the same enterprise join the same industrial trade union, which is conducive to the unity of the working class and enhances the combat effectiveness of the trade union. In capitalist countries, some trade unions are led by Marxists, some by progressives and some by reformers. Except for a few yellow trade unions manipulated by capitalists, most trade unions can represent and safeguard the interests of workers in different ways. Through internal coordination and mutual assistance, we can solve the competition among workers, confront capitalists in the form of collective bargaining and strikes, strive for and safeguard the interests of workers, improve their working and living conditions, play a role in the political life of the country, and strive for the social and political interests of workers. The Marxist revolutionary trade union movement is an important force and necessary condition for proletarian liberation.