The Italian Federation of Textile Workers ( it, Federazione Italiana Operai Tessili, FIOT) was a

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 ( ...

representing workers in textile manufacturing and processing in Italy. The union was founded on 28 April 1901, when a wide variety of local trade unions formed the National Federation of the Textile Arts. It launched a journal, ''The Textile Arts'', and its membership increased from 4,000 at foundation, to 20,000 by the end of the year. It launched an unsuccessful campaign for a maximum 10 hour working day. Its campaign to limit child labour was more successful, achieving a ban on under-12s in 1902, and under-14s in 1905. It also achieved statutory

maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and ...

. In 1904, the union renamed itself as the Italian Confederation of Textile Arts, and soon affiliated to the new General Confederation of Labour. It achieved little in the remainder of the decade, heavily divided between reformists and revolutionary

syndicalist Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...

s. In 1911, it became the Italian Federation of Textile Workers, and it grew rapidly 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 ...

, the industry growing and the union securing pay increases. From 1917, it agreed not to undertake strikes, in exchange for being included in compulsory collective bargaining. From 1925, the Fascist government prohibited the union from having a formal role in representation or bargaining, and it was banned in 1934. It was re-established in February 1945, and affiliated to the new

Italian General Confederation of Labour The Italian General Confederation of Labour (; CGIL) is a national trade union based in Italy. It was formed by agreement between socialists, communists, and Christian democrats in the "Pact of Rome" of June 1944. In 1950, socialists and Christi ...

. It soon moved its headquarters to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. By 1947, it had 500,000 members, out of a total of 600,000 working in the industry. In 1947, Teresa Noce became the first woman to lead a major Italian trade union. Although the social democrats and Christian democrats soon left to form their own, rival, unions, the majority of workers remained, and by 1949, the union had 350,000 members. Employment in the sector declined over the following decades, and by 1965, membership was down to 118,812. In 1966, it merged with the

Italian Federation of Garment Workers The Italian Federation of Garment Workers ( it, Federazione Italiana Lavoratori dell'Abbigliamento, FILA) was a trade union representing workers involved in making clothing and footwear in Italy. Until the 1920s, garment workers were organised in ...

, to form the

Italian Federation of Textile and Garment Workers The Italian Federation of Textile and Garment Workers ( it, Federazione Italiana Lavoratori Tessili ed Abbigliamento, FILTEA) was a trade union representing workers in the textile and clothing industries in Italy. The union was founded in March ...

General Secretaries

:1945: Domenico Marchioro{{cite book , last1=Gianfagna , first1=Andrea , title=Gli uomini e le donne della Cgil , date=2007 , publisher=CGIL , url=https://www.fondazionedivittorio.it/sites/default/files/content-attachment/Gli%20uomini%20e%20le%20donne%20della%20%20CGIL%20III-ed.pdf , accessdate=22 July 2020 , archive-date=22 July 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722190804/https://www.fondazionedivittorio.it/sites/default/files/content-attachment/Gli%20uomini%20e%20le%20donne%20della%20%20CGIL%20III-ed.pdf , url-status=dead :1947: Teresa Noce :1955:

Lina Fibbi Giulietta Fibbi (4 August 1920 – 21 January 2018) was an Italian trade union leader, communist politician and anti-fascist activist. Born in Fiesole in Italy, Fibbi grew up in Lyon, where her socialist father fled to avoid persecution by th ...

References

Textile and clothing trade unions Trade unions established in 1901 Trade unions disestablished in 1966 Trade unions in Italy