Shortly after the liberation of Albania from Nazi German occupation on November 29, 1944, prewar labor leaders began campaigning for the establishment of a postwar trade union organization.
At the time of its Third National Congress in August 1952 it was noted that it was composed of unions in industry, mining, state farm agriculture, forestry, transport, administration, trade, health, education and culture.
[3][4] Its newspaper was known as Puna which carried "articles on various aspects from the life of the Albanian working class, as well as materials expressing the attitude of the Trade Unions of Albania towards problems of the international worker['s] movement.
"[12] A critical work, meanwhile, describes their functions as follows: "Throughout their existence the unions have been, for all practical purposes, an appendage of the party machine, performing such set tasks as fulfilling the government's economic plans, maintaining labour discipline, spreading the official gospel among their members.
"[13] A 1982 Government work noted that the trade unions participated in the "drafting and editing of laws on labour and wages; supervise the application of rules on safety at work and technical security; exercise social control on behalf of the masses over the execution of housing construction plans and participate in the allocation of houses; control the activity of commercial enterprises and public catering," and that, "Through the trade-unions the workers exercise their control over the rates of utilization of state social insurance funds, the accommodation of the workers and their children in rest-homes, check the execution of plans for the construction of health and prophylactic institutions, the work of health services, etc.