The International Federation of Pottery Workers (IFPW) was a global union federation.

History

The union was founded on the initiative of

Fritz Zietsch Fritz Zietsch (23 April 1877 – 6 July 1913) was a German politician and trade unionist. Born in Berlin, Zietsch became a porcelain painter, and joined the Union of Porcelain and Related Workers of Germany. He also joined the Social Democra ...

, editor of ''Die Ameise'', the Germany pottery workers' journal. In 1905, he wrote to unions of pottery workers from around Europe, and those from Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom attended the founding meeting of the international in Berlin later in the year. The first triennial congress was held in Limoges in 1906, followed by Florence in 1909 and Hanley in 1912. The federation's objectives included providing support to affiliates involved in industrial disputes, and improvements in working hours and health and safety. The federation ceased to operate during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, but it was revived after the war, on the initiative of the British and German unions, with a Czech union joining those from France, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands at its first congress, back in Berlin. The federation operated effectively until 1933, when due to the rise of the Nazis, the German union largely ceased to operate. The federation's headquarters had already been moved to Czechoslovakia, and Ernst Roll was appointed as its acting secretary. With the French union unable to afford to send representatives to meetings in other countries, and the Austrian union ceasing to operate, in 1935 the

International Federation of Trade Unions The International Federation of Trade Unions (also known as the Amsterdam International) was an international organization of trade unions, existing between 1919 and 1945. IFTU had its roots in the pre-war IFTU. IFTU had close links to the Labou ...

took action. The IFPW was merged into the

International Federation of General Factory Workers The International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (ICEF) was a global union federation of trade unions. History The secretariat was founded in August 1907, as the International Federation of General Factory Workers, but ...

. Initially, it continued to act as a distinct section, holding a conference in Hanley in 1937, with each delegate given a musical mug. Two years later, the Dutch, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish unions attempted to reform the IFPW, but

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 opposing ...

started before anything concrete happened.

General Secretaries

:1905:

:1913:

Georg Wollmann Georg Wollmann (born 1861) was a German trade union leader. Wollmann became a ceramic worker and joined the Union of Porcelain and Related Workers of Germany. In 1893, he was elected as president of the union. From 1913, he additionally served a ...

:1933: Ernst Roll

References

{{Authority control Global union federations Trade unions established in 1905 Trade unions disestablished in 1935 Ceramics and pottery trade unions 1905 establishments in Germany