Toggle search
Toggle menu
4.1K
4K
440
61K
ProleWiki
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

World Federation of Trade Unions: Difference between revisions

From ProleWiki, the proletarian encyclopedia
More languages
More actions
VisualWikitext
m (Added message box for cleaning up)
m (Fixed citation)
Tag: Visual edit
 
(One intermediate revision by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{External article cleanup|date=November 2021}}
{{External article cleanup|date=November 2021}}
The '''World Federation of Trade Unions''' ('''WFTU''') is an international federation of [[trade union]]s. WFTU was established in 1945 to replace the [[International Federation of Trade Unions]]. Its mission was to bring together [[trade union]]s across the world in a single international organization, much like the [[United Nations]]. After a number of [[Western world|Western]] trade unions left it in 1949, as a result of disputes over support for the [[Marshall Plan]], to form the [[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions]], the WFTU was made up primarily of unions affiliated with or sympathetic to [[communist parties]]. In the context of the [[Cold War]], the WFTU was often portrayed as a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] front organization.<ref name="Staar84">Richard Felix Staar, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Hvv7U15xCtMC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Foreign policies of the Soviet Union]'', Hoover Press, 1991, {{ISBN|0-8179-9102-6}}, p.84</ref> A number of those unions, including those from [[Yugoslavia]] and [[The People's Republic of China|China]], left later when their governments had ideological differences with the [[Soviet Union]].
The '''World Federation of Trade Unions''' ('''WFTU''') is an international federation of [[trade union]]s. WFTU was established in 1945 to replace the [[International Federation of Trade Unions]]. Its mission was to bring together [[trade union]]s across the world in a single international organization, much like the [[United Nations]]. After a number of [[Western world|Western]] trade unions left it in 1949, as a result of disputes over support for the [[Marshall Plan]], to form the [[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions]], the WFTU was made up primarily of unions affiliated with or sympathetic to [[communist parties]]. In the context of the [[Cold War]], the WFTU was often portrayed as a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] front organization.<ref name="Staar84">Richard Felix Staar, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Hvv7U15xCtMC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Foreign policies of the Soviet Union]'', Hoover Press, 1991, ISBN|0-8179-9102-6, p.84</ref> A number of those unions, including those from [[Yugoslavia]] and [[People's Republic of China|China]], left later when their governments had ideological differences with the [[Soviet Union]].


== History ==
== History ==
Line 6: Line 6:
The WFTU declined as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and socialist governments in [[Eastern Europe]], in particular in Europe, with many of its former constituent unions joining the ICFTU. That fall seems to have come to an end since the congress in Havana in 2005 where a new leadership was elected with Georges Mavrikos, a Greek union activist from [[All-Workers Militant Front|PAME]], leading member of the [[Communist Party of Greece]] (KKE), at its head.
The WFTU declined as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and socialist governments in [[Eastern Europe]], in particular in Europe, with many of its former constituent unions joining the ICFTU. That fall seems to have come to an end since the congress in Havana in 2005 where a new leadership was elected with Georges Mavrikos, a Greek union activist from [[All-Workers Militant Front|PAME]], leading member of the [[Communist Party of Greece]] (KKE), at its head.


In January 2006 it moved its headquarters from Prague, [[Czech Republic]] to Athens, [[Greece]] and reinvigorated its activity by putting focus on organizing regional federations of unions in the [[Third World]], by organizing campaigns against imperialism, racism, poverty, environmental degradation and [[exploitation of labour|exploitation of workers]] under capitalism and in defense of full employment, social security, health protection, and trade union rights. The WFTU devotes much of its energy to organizing conferences, issuing statements and producing educational materials and courses for trade union leaders.
In January 2006 it moved its headquarters from Prague, [[Czech Republic]] to Athens, [[Greece]] and reinvigorated its activity by putting focus on organizing regional federations of unions in the [[Third World]], by organizing campaigns against imperialism, racism, poverty, environmental degradation and [[Exploitation|exploitation of workers]] under capitalism and in defense of full employment, social security, health protection, and trade union rights. The WFTU devotes much of its energy to organizing conferences, issuing statements and producing educational materials and courses for trade union leaders.


In recent years, the WFTU has successfully managed to recruit several trade unions of importance in Europe, amongst which the Rail Maritime Trade Union in Great Britain, the Unione Sindicale di Base in [[Italy]]. In [[French Republic|France]], the CGT [[National Federation of Agri-Food and Forestry]] has maintained its affiliation with the WFTU. The CGT [[National Federation of Chemical Industries]] sent delegates to the last congress in Athens in 2011. In 2013, two local CGT railway workers branches have taken steps to become affiliates with the WFTU.
In recent years, the WFTU has successfully managed to recruit several trade unions of importance in Europe, amongst which the Rail Maritime Trade Union in Great Britain, the Unione Sindicale di Base in [[Italy]]. In [[French Republic|France]], the CGT [[National Federation of Agri-Food and Forestry]] has maintained its affiliation with the WFTU. The CGT [[National Federation of Chemical Industries]] sent delegates to the last congress in Athens in 2011. In 2013, two local CGT railway workers branches have taken steps to become affiliates with the WFTU.
Line 21: Line 21:
=== National Affiliates ===
=== National Affiliates ===


Example of National affiliates of the WFTU include:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wftucentral.org/presidential-council/|title=Presidential Council|publisher=World Federation of Trade Unions|access-date=2020-11-25}}</ref>
Example of National affiliates of the WFTU include:<ref>{{Web citation|url=http://www.wftucentral.org/presidential-council/|title=Presidential Council|publisher=World Federation of Trade Unions|access-date=2020-11-25}}</ref>


*[[General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea]] ([[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|Korea]])  
*[[General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea]] ([[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|Korea]])  
Line 51: Line 51:
*[[All-China Federation of Trade Unions]] ([[People's Republic of China|China]])
*[[All-China Federation of Trade Unions]] ([[People's Republic of China|China]])


2 national federations of the French CGT 🇫🇷 (confederation general du travail) are affiliated to the WFTU : Food and wood processing federation, and the [[National Federation of Chemical Industries]]..
2 national federations of the French CGT (confederation general du travail) are affiliated to the WFTU: Food and wood processing federation, and the [[National Federation of Chemical Industries]].


=== Trade Union Internationals ===
=== Trade Union Internationals ===
Line 82: Line 82:
Other than the initial eleven, two new TUIs were formed during the course of the Cold War:
Other than the initial eleven, two new TUIs were formed during the course of the Cold War:
*[[Trade Union International of Workers in Commerce]] formed in 1959<ref>[[A. Percy Coldrick|Coldrick, A. Percy]] and [[Philip James Jones|Jones, Philip]]. ''The international directory of the trade union movement'' New York : Facts on File, [1978] p. 183</ref>
*[[Trade Union International of Workers in Commerce]] formed in 1959<ref>[[A. Percy Coldrick|Coldrick, A. Percy]] and [[Philip James Jones|Jones, Philip]]. ''The international directory of the trade union movement'' New York : Facts on File, [1978] p. 183</ref>
*[[Standing Committee of Trade Unions in the Graphic Industry]] formed in 1961, allied with, but not formally affiliated to the WFTU.
*[[Standing Committee of Trade Unions in the Graphic Industry]] formed in 1961, allied with, but not formally affiliated to the WFTU.<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/dudeman5685_yahoo_WFTU The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945–1985. ]'' Prague; Published by the WTFU in cooperation with PRACE Czechoslovak Trade Unions 1985 pp. 156–7</ref>
<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/dudeman5685_yahoo_WFTU The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945–1985. ]'' Prague; Published by the WTFU in cooperation with PRACE Czechoslovak Trade Unions 1985 pp. 156–7</ref>
 
==== Post-Cold War developments ====
==== Post-Cold War developments ====
After the dissolution of the Eastern bloc, the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers and the Trade Union International of Metal and Engineering Workers temporarily suspended operations. In 1998 a conference was held in [[Havana]] which merged these two organizations and the Trade Union International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers in a new group, Trade Union International of Energy, Metal, Chemical, Oil and Allied Industries. This organization was reorganized again as the [[Trade Union International of Energy Workers (2007)|Trade Unions International of Energy Workers]] in 2007. This left the metal workers an opportunity create a new TUI the next year, [[Trade Union International of Workers in the Mining, the Metallurgy and the Metal Industries]].<ref name="Project for Articles of Association"/><ref name="London p.342">''[[Europa World Year Book]]'' London; Taylor & Francis, 2004 p.342</ref>
After the dissolution of the Eastern bloc, the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers and the Trade Union International of Metal and Engineering Workers temporarily suspended operations. In 1998 a conference was held in [[Havana]] which merged these two organizations and the Trade Union International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers in a new group, Trade Union International of Energy, Metal, Chemical, Oil and Allied Industries. This organization was reorganized again as the [[Trade Union International of Energy Workers (2007)|Trade Unions International of Energy Workers]] in 2007. This left the metal workers an opportunity create a new TUI the next year, [[Trade Union International of Workers in the Mining, the Metallurgy and the Metal Industries]].<ref name="Project for Articles of Association"/><ref name="London p.342">''[[Europa World Year Book]]'' London; Taylor & Francis, 2004 p.342</ref>
Line 125: Line 123:
*[http://www.global-labor.org/prague_1968_the_last_late_short_spring_of_the_wftu.htm Recollections of the WFTU's activities in 1968]
*[http://www.global-labor.org/prague_1968_the_last_late_short_spring_of_the_wftu.htm Recollections of the WFTU's activities in 1968]
*[http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ead/htmldocs/KCL05396mf.html Guide to World Federation of Trade Unions. Reports and Minutes, 1945–1949. 5396mf. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University.]
*[http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ead/htmldocs/KCL05396mf.html Guide to World Federation of Trade Unions. Reports and Minutes, 1945–1949. 5396mf. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University.]
[[Category:Trade unions]]

Latest revision as of 12:47, 21 October 2024

Some parts of this article were copied from external sources and may contain errors or lack of appropriate formatting. You can help improve this article by editing it and cleaning it up. (November 2021)

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions. WFTU was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations. After a number of Western trade unions left it in 1949, as a result of disputes over support for the Marshall Plan, to form the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the WFTU was made up primarily of unions affiliated with or sympathetic to communist parties. In the context of the Cold War, the WFTU was often portrayed as a Soviet front organization.[1] A number of those unions, including those from Yugoslavia and China, left later when their governments had ideological differences with the Soviet Union.

History[edit | edit source]

The WFTU declined as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and socialist governments in Eastern Europe, in particular in Europe, with many of its former constituent unions joining the ICFTU. That fall seems to have come to an end since the congress in Havana in 2005 where a new leadership was elected with Georges Mavrikos, a Greek union activist from PAME, leading member of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), at its head.

In January 2006 it moved its headquarters from Prague, Czech Republic to Athens, Greece and reinvigorated its activity by putting focus on organizing regional federations of unions in the Third World, by organizing campaigns against imperialism, racism, poverty, environmental degradation and exploitation of workers under capitalism and in defense of full employment, social security, health protection, and trade union rights. The WFTU devotes much of its energy to organizing conferences, issuing statements and producing educational materials and courses for trade union leaders.

In recent years, the WFTU has successfully managed to recruit several trade unions of importance in Europe, amongst which the Rail Maritime Trade Union in Great Britain, the Unione Sindicale di Base in Italy. In France, the CGT National Federation of Agri-Food and Forestry has maintained its affiliation with the WFTU. The CGT National Federation of Chemical Industries sent delegates to the last congress in Athens in 2011. In 2013, two local CGT railway workers branches have taken steps to become affiliates with the WFTU.

The different offices of the WFTU across the different continents organize regular exchanges and militant visits of trade union activists from an affiliate to another in order to further discussions, foster internationalist ties, establish an international activity of its affiliates around shared objectives and campaigns, against common adversaries.

In Africa, unions of major importance such as COSATU in South Africa have affiliated with the WFTU.

As part of its efforts to advance its international agenda, the WFTU develops working partnerships with national and industrial trade unions worldwide as well as with a number of international and regional trade union organizations including the Organization of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU), the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU), the Permanent Congress of Trade Union Unity of Latin America (CPUSTAL), and the General Confederation of Trade Unions of CIS countries.

The WFTU holds consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, the ILO, UNESCO, FAO, and other UN agencies. It maintains permanent missions in New York, Geneva, and Rome.

Affiliates[edit | edit source]

National Affiliates[edit | edit source]

Example of National affiliates of the WFTU include:[2]

2 national federations of the French CGT (confederation general du travail) are affiliated to the WFTU: Food and wood processing federation, and the National Federation of Chemical Industries.

Trade Union Internationals[edit | edit source]

The TUI system has gone through a number of transformations in its over 60 years of existence. The earliest TUI was the Template:Clarify. The following Trade Unions Internationals are constituted within the WFTU:[3] Template:Clarify.

During the late 1940s, the WFTU unsuccessfully tried to reach an agreement with already existing international trade secretariats. When the Union split in 1949 they were left without an organization at the level of specific industries. Therefore, they created the:

Over time, some of these original eleven would expand their bases, change their names or merge:

Other than the initial eleven, two new TUIs were formed during the course of the Cold War:

Post-Cold War developments[edit | edit source]

After the dissolution of the Eastern bloc, the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers and the Trade Union International of Metal and Engineering Workers temporarily suspended operations. In 1998 a conference was held in Havana which merged these two organizations and the Trade Union International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers in a new group, Trade Union International of Energy, Metal, Chemical, Oil and Allied Industries. This organization was reorganized again as the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers in 2007. This left the metal workers an opportunity create a new TUI the next year, Trade Union International of Workers in the Mining, the Metallurgy and the Metal Industries.[12][15]

In 1997 the Trade Union International of Agroalimentary, Food, Commerce, Textile & Allied Industries was formed by the merger of the Trade Union International of Agricultural, Forestry and Plantation Workers, Trade Union International of Food, Tobacco, Hotel and Allied Industries Workers, Trade Union International of Workers in Commerce, Trade Union International of Textile, Leather and Fur Workers Unions.[15]

The Trade Union International of Workers in Tourism and Hotels[16] was founded in 2009, the Trade Union International of Banks, Insurance and Financial Unions Employees[17] in 2011 and the Trade Union International of Trade Unions of Pensioners and Retired Persons in 2014.[18]

Leadership[edit | edit source]

General Secretaries[edit | edit source]

1945: Louis Saillant
1969: Pierre Gensous
1978: Enrique Pastorino
1982: Ibrahim Zakaria
1990: Alexander Zharikov
2005: George Mavrikos

Presidents[edit | edit source]

1945: Walter Citrine
1946: Arthur Deakin
1949: Giuseppe Di Vittorio
1959: Agostino Novella
1961: Renato Bitossi
1969: Enrique Pastorino
1975: Sándor Gáspár
1989: Indrajit Gupta
1990: Ibrahim Zakaria
1994: Antonio Neto
2000: K. L. Mahendra
2005: Shaban Assouz
2016: Michael Mzwandile Makwayiba

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Richard Felix Staar, Foreign policies of the Soviet Union, Hoover Press, 1991, ISBN|0-8179-9102-6, p.84
  2. ↑ "Presidential Council".
  3. ↑ TUIs CONTACT DETAILS
  4. ↑ Facts about international Communist front organisations 1957 p. 55
  5. ↑ Coldrick, A. Percy and Jones, Philip. The international directory of the trade union movement New York : Facts on File, [1978] pp. 170–71
  6. ↑ Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions Washington Office of International Labor Affairs, June 1955 pp. 47–49
  7. ↑ Facts about international Communist front organisations pp. 31–32
  8. ↑ Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions 1955 p. 48
  9. ↑ Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions Washington Office of International Labor Affairs, December 1958 p. 52
  10. ↑ Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions 1955 p. 49
  11. ↑ Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions December 1958 p. 56
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Project for Articles of Association p. 16
  13. ↑ Coldrick, A. Percy and Jones, Philip. The international directory of the trade union movement New York : Facts on File, [1978] p. 183
  14. ↑ The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945–1985. Prague; Published by the WTFU in cooperation with PRACE Czechoslovak Trade Unions 1985 pp. 156–7
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Europa World Year Book London; Taylor & Francis, 2004 p.342
  16. ↑ Report of Action 2006–2010 p. 106
  17. ↑ Report of Action 2006–2010 p. 116
  18. ↑ Initial intervention of Congress Founding – Feb. 5, 2014

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Fabio BERTINI, Gilliatt e la piovra. Il sindacalismo internazionale dalle origini ad oggi (1776–2006), Roma, Aracne, 2011

External links[edit | edit source]

Retrieved from "https://en.prolewiki.org/index.php?title=World_Federation_of_Trade_Unions&oldid=76842"