The National Federation of Miners (french: Fédération nationale des travailleurs du sous-sol, FNTSS-CGT) 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 miners in France. The union traced its history to 1883, when Michel Rondet of the Union of Miners of the Loire called a conference in

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...

. This attracted eleven unions from seven regions of France, with representatives including Émile Basly from Pas-de-Calais and Jean-Baptiste Calvignac from Carmaux. The federation endured, but remained relatively small, membership peaking at 20,000 in 1891, and falling back to 12,000 in 1912. In 1906, it affiliated to the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). The National Federation of Slate Workers merged into the union in 1911, which renamed itself as the Federation of the Mining and Quarrying Industry, then in 1912 it became the National Federation of Miners and Allied Trades. After

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 ...

, 25,000 miners in Alsace-Lorraine transferred to the French union, and by 1920 the union membership had increased to 120,000. In 1921, part of the union joined the

United General Confederation of Labor United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

split from the CGT, reuniting in 1936. This took membership to a new high of 275,000, a membership density of more than 80%. 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 ...

, many miners participated in the

French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

and there were numerous strikes, but the union's leadership, including Pierre Vigne, collaborated with the

Vichy regime Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

. After the war, all mines were nationalised, and the federation became increasingly important, with membership reaching 300,000. However, a minority, supporting the

Workers' Force The General Confederation of Labor - Workers' Force (french: Confédération Générale du Travail - Force Ouvrière, or simply , FO), is one of the five major union confederations in France. In terms of following, it is the third behind the CGT ...

split from the CGT, left in 1948 to found the rival Miners' Federation. From the 1950s, employment in the mining industry dropped rapidly, and with it, the membership of the federation. By 1963, it was down to 65,000 working members, and by 1999, only 4,000. That year, it merged with the National Federation of Energy, forming the National Federation of Mines and Energy.''

La Nouvelle Vie ouvrière ''La Nouvelle Vie Ouvrière'' (''The New Worker's Life'') ou ''NVO'' is a French trade union magazine first published in 1909 under the name ''La Vie Ouvrière''. It is the main newspaper of the General Confederation of Labour. History 1909-191 ...

'', N° 2879, 29 octobre 1999

General Secretaries

:1883: Michel Rondet :1894: Gilbert Cotte :1903: Alexandre Bexant :1910: Séraphin Cordier :1911: Casimir Bartuel :1924: Pierre Vigne :1945: Victorin Duguet :1956: Henri Martel :1959: Léon Delfosse :1968: Achille Blondeau :1980: Augustin Dufresnes :1989: Jacky Bernard

References

{{Authority control Trade unions established in 1883 Trade unions disestablished in 1999 Trade unions in France Mining trade unions 1999 disestablishments in France 1883 establishments in France