The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) is 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 ...
of
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
s with members in a variety of industries, many of which relate to food processing.
History
The federation was founded in 1920 with the merger of the
, the
International Federation of Meat Workers The International Federation of Meat Workers was a global union federation bringing together unions representing butchers and abattoir workers.
The German Central Union of Butchers organised the first International Conference of Meat Workers in 191 ...
, and the
International Federation of Brewery Workers The International Secretariat of Brewery Workers was a global union federation bringing together trade unions representing workers in breweries and mills which processed grains for brewing.
History
The first international conference of brewery work ...
.
Originally named the International Union of Food and Allied Workers' Associations (IUFAWA), its affiliates were all European until 1950, but it then rapidly expanded worldwide.
In 1958, the
International Federation of Tobacco Workers The International Federation of Tobacco Workers (IFTW) was a global union federation bringing together unions representing workers involved in growing, processing or selling tobacco.
History
The idea of an international federation of tobacco worker ...
merged into the federation, which renamed itself as the International Union of Food, Drinks and Tobacco Workers' Associations, then in 1961 the
International Union of Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Workers
The International Union of Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Workers (IUHR) was a global union federation bringing together trade unions representing hospitality workers.
History
In the late 19th- and early 20th-century, the Union of German Restaurant Wor ...
merged in, and the federation became the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF). By 1978, the federation's affiliates had a total of 2.1 million members.
During the 1980s, the IUF campaigned against
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
following the assassination of union leaders in Guatemala. In 1988, the IUF was the first international trade union to sign a
global framework agreement A Global Framework Agreement or GFA, previously called International Framework Agreement or IFA is a non-binding agreement between global union federations and multinational companies, which at minimum ensures workers within a company's world-wide o ...
with the French food
multinational BSN (
Danone
Danone S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock market index. Some of t ...
). In 1994, the
International Federation of Plantation, Agricultural and Allied Workers merged into the IUF, which took its present name. In 2006, most of the former affiliates of the
World Federation of Agriculture and Food Workers
The World Federation of Agriculture and Food Workers (french: Fédération mondiale des travailleurs de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, FEMTAA) was an International Trade Federation affiliated to the World Confederation of Labour (WCL).
Histor ...
joined the federation.
Current operations
In 2019, the IUF was composed of 422 member organisations in 127 countries, representing more than 10 million workers.
The organization represents workers employed in agriculture, the preparation and manufacture of food and beverages, hotels, restaurants and
catering
Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio.
History of catering
The earliest account of major services be ...
services and in tobacco processing.
The international headquarters of IUF is located in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Within the organization, there are autonomous regional organizations for Africa, Asia/Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America.
Affiliates
As of December 2019, the IUF has the following affiliates:
Leadership
General Secretaries
:1920:
Jean Schifferstein Jean Schifferstein (28 June 1878 – 19 May 1941) was a Swiss and international trade union leader of German origin.
Born in Bingen am Rhein, Schifferstein completed an apprenticeship as a cooper. As a journeyman, he worked in Bern and in Rh ...
:1941:
Hermann Leuenberger Hermann Leuenberger (15 July 1901 – 30 December 1975) was a Swiss trade union leader and politician.
Born in Basel, Leuenberger started an apprenticeship as a painter, but became active in the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP) and t ...
(acting)
:1949: Juul Poulsen
:1968: Dan Gallin
:1997: Ron Oswald
:2017: Sue Longley
Presidents
:1920:
Max Wilhelm
:1934: Robert Fischer
:1939:
Hermann Leuenberger Hermann Leuenberger (15 July 1901 – 30 December 1975) was a Swiss trade union leader and politician.
Born in Basel, Leuenberger started an apprenticeship as a painter, but became active in the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP) and t ...
:1949:
Marius Madsen
:1958:
Hans Nätscher
:1964:
John Swift
:1967: Henri Ceuppens
:1970:
Daniel E. Conway
:1977:
Sigvard Nyström
:1981:
Günter Döding
:1989:
Lage Andréasson
:1993: Willy Vijverman
:1997: Frank Hurt
:2002: Paul Andela
:2012:
Hans-Olof Nilsson
:2017: Mark Lauritsen
References
External links
IUF official websiteIUF Facebook pageIUF Latin America websiteOn the history and policy of the IUF€”comprehensive information on the IUF and its predecessors in PDF (3MB): a brief history of the IUF, an interview with Dan Gallin (General Secretary of the IUF 1968-97) and an inventory of records and reports of the IUF and its predecessors in the library of the
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (''German: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.; Abbreviation: FES'') is a German political party foundation associated with, but independent from, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Established in 1925 as the ...
(FES).
Interview with Dan Galin, IUF General Secretary 1968-1997€”web version of interview printed in FES history document.
{{Authority control
Global union federations
Food processing trade unions
Trade unions established in 1920