Its early activities stemmed from organizations like the Datong Coal Miners' Union in 1922, which led strikes against Japanese-controlled mines and warlord Yan Xishan's labor policies.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), the SFTU mobilized workers in guerrilla zones such as Wutai Mountain to disrupt Japanese coal supply lines, as documented in Shanxi's wartime resistance archives.
[1][failed verification] [2] After 1949, the SFTU centralized labor management in state-owned heavy industries, notably overseeing the Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group (TISCO, founded 1950) and promoting Soviet-inspired "Model Worker" campaigns.
[3] During the 1980s economic reforms, it mediated conflicts in privatized coal mines and pushed for safety regulations following the Xinzhou Coal Mine Gas Explosion in 1991, aligning with national labor law reforms.
[4][5] In the 2010s, the SFTU prioritized retraining laid-off workers through institutions like the Shanxi Coal Industry Skills Academy in 2015 and integrated gig economy workers under the provincial "Digital Shanxi" initiative.