he President of the General Federation of Trade Unions, Fawaz Al-Ahmad, announced his official resignation from the position of President of the Federation.
This announcement came after a closed session held by the General Union Council on Sunday afternoon, May 3 , 2026, in Damascus, where the session ended with Al-Ahmad announcing his resignation, along with a member of the Executive Bureau, without disclosing the course of discussions that took place behind closed doors.
Resignation Statement
In an official statement today, Al-Ahmad attributed the reasons for his resignation to his desire to put his expertise elsewhere that needs his presence, in addition to his belief in the need to provide an opportunity to "pump new blood" capable of keeping pace with the future and current challenges facing the working class.
Al-Ahmad expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by his colleagues during the past period, stressing that this step comes from the general interest of the union's work.
From the platform to the resignation
The resignation comes on the same day that Al-Ahmad chaired the opening session of the General Council of the Union in its second session after the liberation in Damascus, under the slogan "With your sleeves, build nations."
The members of the Council called for the unification of assistance funds and deduction rates, the placement of all workers in tourist establishments to ensure that they are covered by rights and insurances, and the review of the conditions of newly and former dismissed workers, pointing out the importance of inspection committees conducting tours of workplaces with the participation of the Union, setting a clear terms of reference for the work of porters, registering all employees in the Social Insurance Institution, in addition to canceling contracts with health insurance companies due to their ineffectiveness.
Ministerial Responses
In the government's reactions during the session, the Minister of Transport, Yarub Badr, stressed the Ministry's keenness to address the issues raised in coordination with the General Union, pointing out that it is working to regulate the conditions of workers in the transport-related sectors, improve their work environment, and guarantee their rights in line with the plans for reconstruction and the development of services.
For his part, Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani explained in a statement to SANA that international companies that have signed investment contracts with the ministry tend to recruit their workers, but we are working to employ Syrian workers by 75% compared to 25% for foreign workers, which will gradually increase to 90% in the coming period.
Minister Al-Salhani indicated that the ministry is working, in coordination with the Engineers and Contractors Syndicates, to provide tourism projects with national expertise and benefit from Syrian competencies in rehabilitation and construction works.
In a similar statement, the Assistant Minister of Administrative Development for Human Resources Management Affairs, Anas Al-Sawaf, pointed out that the Ministry is working to modernize the work environment to ensure that it is suitable for all employees, and to develop job descriptions, stressing that the draft civil service law includes incentive measures based on merit, granting incentives according to performance and developing skills, in addition to addressing the file of wages and compensation.
Al-Sawaf pointed out that the renewal of contracts is currently undergoing a careful study in coordination between the ministry and the concerned authorities, based on the new organizational structures and performance evaluation after the suspension of the automatic renewal of contracts, and the ministry is completing the final wording of the draft law and its annexes in preparation for its presentation to the People's Assembly.
For her part, the Secretary of Organization and Secrets at the General Federation of Trade Unions, Hadeel Jabi, explained that the launch of the new trade union card constitutes a key step in modernizing union work and enhancing communication with workers, through a unified technical number that ensures accurate documentation of their data and the provision of fair and transparent services through the electronic platform.
It is noteworthy that the work of the 28th General Conference of the General Federation of Trade Unions in Syria was held, as the first conference after the liberation, under the slogan "A Legacy of Struggle... and a pledge of giving" on November 30, 2025.