Collection Summary
Scope and content
Content
Collection consisting of agenda, proceedings, reports and circulars of ITS general
conferences 1949-1965; collection consisting of circulars of the Consultative Committee
1948 and the Coordinating Committee 1949-1952; corresponcence (partly photocopies)
of the Administrative Committee 1959-1966; agenda, proceedings, circulars and other
documents of the Liaison Committee 1952-1966; newsletters 1957-1961.
Record creators history
Historical Note
The sixteen International Trade Secretariats (ITS), organized by trade or industry,
are autonomous secretariats representing trade union organizations in different countries,
providing international support and action; their communal coordinating Liaison Committee
has the function of executive board; between the two world wars, the ITS had close
relations with the International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU); after 1945 the
newly established World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) strived at incorporating
the ITS; at the same time the WFTU came under growing communist domination; resistance
of the western-orientated trade unions to both points led to the breakaway from the
WFTU in 1948; in 1949, during the foundation of the International Confederation of
Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) a coordinating committee was set up to determine the relationship
between ICFTU and ITS, resulting in the recognition by the ICFTU of their autonomy;
the ICFTU and ITS cooperate in all questions of common interest, which implies that
the ITS adopt the general policy of the ICFTU, while the ITS are represented in all
its governing bodies.
Processing information
Processing Information
List made by H.D. Hondius in 1991
Conditions governing access
Preferred citation
Preferred Citation
International Trade Secretariats Collection , inventory number ..., International
Institute of Social History, Amsterdam
Extent
0.4 m. meter
Other descriptive information
INTRODUCTION
The sixteen International Trade Secretariats (ITS's) bring together national unions
of a particular trade or industry for international support and action. Although they
are associated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) ,
the ITS's retain their own autonomy.
Between the two world wars, the ITS's had close relations with the International
Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) .
After 1945 a major problem of the new World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) was
whether the ITS's should be integrated into it or not. Resistance of the western-orientated
trade unions to the WFTU's attempt at centralising all the hitherto autonomous ITS's
into its own organization, which came under growing communist domination, led to the
breakaway from the WFTU in 1948 .
In 1949, during the foundation of the ICFTU a co-ordinating committee was established
to build up a relationship between ICFTU and the ITS's.
The result was that the ICFTU recognises the autonomy of the ITS's. They co-operate
in all questions of common interest, the ICFTU and ITS's recognise that they are in
fact part of the same international trade union movement, which implies that the ITS's
adopt the general policy of the ICFTU . These principles have been embodied in the
ICFTU constitution which declares that the ITS's are represented in all its governing
bodies.
The sixteen ITS's are autonomous secretariats of international trade union organizations,
with a co-ordinating Liaison Committee, which has the function of an executive board.
The documents of this collection, mainly printed, are issued by this covering body.
The sixteen international trade union organizations are:
*the International Federation of Building and Woodworkers (IFBW)
*the International Federation of Chemical and General Workers' Unions (ICF)
*the International Federation of Commercial, Clerical and Technical Employees (IFCCTE/FIET)
*the Universal Alliance of Diamond Workers (UADW)
*the International Secretariat of Entertainment Trade Unions (ISETU)
*the International Union of Food and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF)
*the International Graphical Federation (IGF)
*the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF)
*the Miners' International Federation (MIF)
*the International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers (IFPCW)
*the International Federation of Plantation, Agricultural and Allied Workers (IFPAAW)
*the Postal, Telegraph and Telephone International (PTTI)
*the Public Services International (PSI)
*the International Federation of Free Teaching Unions (IFFTU)
*the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF)
*the International Transport workers' Federation (ITF) .
Keywords
Subjects
Subjects:
Syndicalism/Trade unions
International organizations
Workers movements/Workers councils/Workers International organizations
Geographic names:
Belgium
Corporate names: ICFTU World Federation of Trade Unions
Corporate names: International Trade Secretariats (ITS's) International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) WFTU ICFTU ICFTU ICFTU ICFTU ICFTU ICFTU International Federation of Building and Woodworkers (IFBW) International Federation of Chemical and General Workers' Unions International Federation of Commercial, Clerical and Technical Employees Universal Alliance of Diamond Workers (UADW) International Secretariat of Entertainment Trade Unions (ISETU) International Union of Food and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) International Graphical Federation (IGF) International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) Miners' International Federation (MIF) International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers (IFPCW) International Federation of Plantation, Agricultural and Allied Workers (IFPAAW)
Postal, Telegraph and Telephone International (PTTI) Public Services International (PSI) International Federation of Free Teaching Unions (IFFTU) International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) International Transport workers' Federation (ITF)
Language of the material
Record creator
Creator: International Trade Secretariats
Content provider
International Institute of Social History
( Cruquiusweg 31 , 1019 AT Amsterdam , The Netherlands )