The International Clothing Workers' Federation (IGWF) was a

global union federation A global union federation (GUF) is an international federation of national trade unions organizing in specific industry sectors or occupational groups. Historically, such federations in the social democratic tradition described as international t ...

representing workers involved in making and repairing clothes.

History

The federation was established in 1893 at a conference in Zurich. The following year, it established headquarters in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, moving to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

in 1920. It held conferences in different European locations every three to four years. In 1925, the International Furriers' Secretariat merged into the organisation, giving the organisation 29 affiliates with a total of 315,000 members. The federation ceased to operate during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but was re-established in 1946, based in London. In 1949, it was refounded as the International Garment Workers' Federation, which in 1960 merged with the

International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations The International Federation of Textile Workers' Association (IFTWA) was a global union federation bringing together unions of textile workers, principally in Europe. History The federation's origins lay in the International Textile Congress, hel ...

to form the

International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation The International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation (ITGWF) was a global union federation of unions representing workers involved in manufacturing clothing and other textiles. The federation was established on 17 June 1960 at conference in C ...

Affiliates

In 1954, the following unions were affiliated to the federation:

Leadership

General Secretaries

:1894:

Clara Zetkin Clara Zetkin (; ; ''née'' Eißner ; 5 July 1857 – 20 June 1933) was a German Marxist theorist, communist activist, and advocate for women's rights. Until 1917, she was active in the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She then joined the ...

:1900: Heinrich Stühmer :1920:

Tonnis van der Heeg Tonnis van der Heeg (29 March 1886 – 15 August 1958) was a Dutch trade unionist, politician, and resistance activist. Born in Groningen, van der Heeg became a tailor. He joined the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP), inspired by his ...

:1946:

Andrew Conley Andrew Conley (18 December 1881''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 5 June 1952) was a British trade unionist. Born in Leeds to Irish parents,''Report of the annual conference'' (1952), Labour Party Conley fought in the Second Boer War.Anne ...

:1949: Ian Milner :1956:

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forc ...

Presidents

:1910s: William P. Arup :1920: Martin Plettl :1933: Josef Andersson :as of 1957: Per Petterson

References

{{Authority control Global union federations Clothing industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1893 Trade unions disestablished in 1960