Pierre Gensous (25 July 1925 – 2 December 2017) was a French trade unionist. Born in

Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a commune and capital of the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Military installations The French Air and Space Force operates the '' Constantin Roza ...

, Gensous became a metalworker, and joined his trade union. In 1945, he also joined the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Un ...

(PCF). In 1953, Gensous was sacked for taking part in a strike, and was out of work for about a year. He finally found employment, and then in 1954 won election as general secretary of the French

Metalworkers' Federation The Metalworkers' Federation (french: Fédération des travailleurs de la métallurgie, FTM) is a trade union representing workers in the metallurgical industry in France. The union was founded in May 1909 and brought together the Federal Union o ...

, an affiliate of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). From 1959 until 1962, Gensous served as president of the

Trade Union International of Workers in the Metal Industry The Trade Union International of Workers in the Metal Industry was a trade union international affiliated to the World Federation of Trade Unions. History The TUI was founded at a conference in Turin, Italy on June 2, 1949 as the Trade Union In ...

, and then in 1964, he became its general secretary. In 1965, he won election as deputy general secretary of the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...

(WFTU), and then in 1969 he was elected as its general secretary. From 1970, Gensous served on the executive of the PCF. The CGT developed disagreements with the WFTU, and Gensous decided that his primary loyalty was to the CGT. He stood down from the WFTU in 1978, becoming head of the Centre for International Research and Co-operation, and remained on the national executive of the CGT until his retirement in 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gensous, Pierre 1925 births 2017 deaths French Communist Party members French trade union leaders People from Mont-de-Marsan