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, moving to Amsterdam 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, 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.

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 Heinrich Stühmer (14 January 1863 – October 1945) was a German trade unionist. Born in Bünzen, near Aukrug, Stühmer was orphaned at an early age. He excelled at school and hoped to become a teacher, but could not fund the training. He e ...

: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

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