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 trade secretariats (ITS),^[1] while those in the Christian democratic tradition described themselves as international trade federations. Equivalent sectoral bodies linked to the World Federation of Trade Unions described themselves as Trade Union Internationals.

Many unions are members of one or more global union federations, relevant to the sectors where they have their members. Individual unions may also be affiliated to a national trade union centre, which in turn can be affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) or the WFTU.

Current federations


Federation	Acronym	Headquarters	Present^[a]	Ref.
Building and Wood Workers' International	BWI	Geneva	2005	^[2]
Education International	EI	Brussels	1992	^[3]
Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations	FICSA	Geneva	1952
FIFPro	FIFPro	Hoofddoorp	1965
IndustriALL Global Union	IndustriAll	Geneva	2012
International Affiliation of Writers' Guilds	IAWG	Toronto	1986
International Arts and Entertainment Alliance	IAEA	Brussels	1997
International Domestic Workers Federation	IDWF	Hong Kong	2013	^[4]
International Federation of Actors	FIA	Brussels	1952
International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations	IFALPA	Montreal	1948
International Federation of Journalists	IFJ	Brussels	1926	^[5]
International Federation of Musicians	FIM	Paris	1948
International Transport Workers' Federation	ITF	London	1896	^[6]
International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations	IUF	Geneva	1920	^[7]
Public Services International	PSI	Ferney-Voltaire	1907	^[6]
UNI Global Union	UNI	Nyon	2000	^[8]

Former secretariats

Federation	Acronym	Founded	Dissolved	Fate	Ref
Carpenters' International		1903	1925	Merged into IFBWW	^[9]
Communications International	CI	1920	2000	Merged into UNI	^[8]
International Agitation Commission of Carvers		1895	1919	Merged into IUW
International Commission for Railwaymen		1893	1898	Merged into ITF	^[6]
International Commercial Employees' Secretariat		1909	1914	Dissolved
International Committee of Entertainment and Media Unions	ICEMU	1992	2000	Dormant	^[8]^[10]
International Confederation of Musicians	ICM	1904	1920s	Dissolved
International Federation of Bookbinders and Kindred Trades		1907	1949	Merged into IGF	^[8]
International Federation of Bakery Workers		1907	1920	Merged into IUF	^[7]
International Federation of Brewery Workers		1896	1920	Merged into IUF	^[7]
International Federation of Building and Wood Workers	IFBWW	1934	2005	Merged into BWI	^[2]^[9]
International Federation of Building Workers	IFBW	1903	1934	Merged into IFBWW	^[9]
International Federation of Chemical and General Workers' Unions	ICEF	1907	1995	Merged into ICEM	^[11]
International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions	ICEM	1995	2012	Merged into IndustriALL	^[11]^{[citation needed]}
International Federation of Civil Servants		1925	1935	Merged into PSI	^[6]
International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees	FIET	1921	1999	Merged into UNI	^[8]
International Federation of Enginemen and Firemen		1927	1939	Dissolved
International Federation of Foundry Workers	IFF	1949	1954	Dissolved
International Federation of Free Teachers' Unions	IFFTU	1951	1992	Merged into EI	^[3]
International Federation of Furriers		1894	1925	Merged into IGWF	^[12]
International Federation of Glass Workers		1908	1930s	Dissolved
International Federation of Lithographers, Lithographic Printers and Kindred Trades		1897	1949	Merged into IGF	^[8]
International Federation of Meat Workers		1913	1920	Merged into IUF	^[7]
International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers	IFPCW	1954	1976	Dissolved	^[11]
International Federation of Plantation and Agricultural Workers	IFPAW	1960	1994	Merged into IUF	^[7]
International Federation of Pottery Workers	IFPW	1905	1935	Merged into ICEF	^[11]^[13]
International Federation of Saddlers' Unions		1906	1921	Merged into the ISLWF	^[12]
International Federation of Secondary Teachers	FIPESO	1912	1993	Merged into EI
International Federation of Teachers' Associations	IFTA	1926	1993	Merged into EI
International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations	IFTWA	1893	1960	Merged into ITGWF
International Federation of Tobacco Workers	IFTW	1889	1958	Merged into PWIF
International Federation of Trade Unions of Audio-Visual Workers	FISTAV	1974	1993	Merged into MEI
International Federation of Variety Artists	IFVA	1952	1970	Merged into FIA
International Garment Workers' Federation	IGWF	1893	1960	Merged into ITGWF	^[12]
International Graphical Federation	IGF	1949	2000	Merged into UNI	^[8]
International Landworkers' Federation	ILF	1920	1960	Merged into IFPAW
International Mercantile Marine Officers' Association	IMMOA	1926	1965	Merged into ITF
International Metalworkers' Federation	IMF	1893	2012	Merged into IndustriALL	^[9]^{[citation needed]}
International Seafarers' Federation	ISF	1918	1930s	Dissolved
International Secretariat of Arts, Communications, Media and Entertainment Trade Unions	ISETU	1965	1993	Merged into MEI	^[8]
International Secretariat of Foundry Workers		1898	1904	Merged into IMF	^[9]
International Secretariat of the Glass Workers	IGWU	1892	1900	Dissolved	^[11]^[14]
International Secretariat of Painters and Allied Trades		1911	1946	Merged into IFBWW	^[9]
International Secretariat of Potters		1907	1922	Merged into IFBW
International Secretariat of Stone Workers		1903	1946	Merged into IFBWW	^[9]
International Secretariat of Stone Setters		1904	1923	Merged into ISSM
International Shoe and Leather Workers' Federation	ISLWF	1907	1970	Merged into ITGLWF	^[12]
International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation	ITGWF	1960	1970	Merged into ITGLWF	^[12]
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation	ITGLWF	1970	2012	Merged into IndustriALL	^[12]^{[citation needed]}
International Typographers' Secretariat	ITS	1889	1949	Merged into IGF	^[8]
International Union of Hatters		1900	1939	Dissolved
International Union of Hairdressers		1907	1939	Dissolved	^[8]^{[citation needed]}
International Union of Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Workers	IUHR	1908	1961	Merged into IUF	^[7]
International Union of Leather Workers		1891	1921	Merged into the ISLWF	^[12]
International Union of Wood Workers	IUW	1904	1934	Merged into IFBWW	^[9]
Media and Entertainment International	MEI	1993	2000	Merged into UNI	^[8]
Plantation Workers International Federation	PWIF	1957	1960	Merged into IFPAW	^[7]
Miners' International Federation	MIF	1890	1995	Merged into ICEM	^[11]
Teachers' International Trade Secretariat	ITST	1927	1946	Merged into FISE
Universal Alliance of Diamond Workers	UADW	1905	2000	Merged into ICEM	^[11]
World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession	WCOTP	1951	1992	Merged into EI	^[3]
World Confederation of Teachers	WCT	1963	2007	Merged into EI	^{[citation needed]}
World Federation of Building and Woodworkers' Unions	WFBW	1937	2005	Merged into BWI	^[2]^[15]
World Federation of Industry Workers	WFIW	1985	2007	Merged into ICEM
World Organisation of the Teaching Profession	WOTP	1923	1951	Merged into WCOTP

Notes

^ Indicates year current name adopted

Citations

^ Rojot 2006, p. 258.
^ ^a ^b ^c Chen 2005, p. 81.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gries 2001, p. 86.
^ Fish, Jennifer (2017). Domestic Workers of the World Unite! A Global Movement for Dignity and Human Rights. New York: NYU Press.
^ Gries 2001, p. 88
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gries 2001, p. 89
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gries 2001, p. 91
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Gries 2001, p. 92-93
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Gries 2001, p. 90.
^ UIA 1999, online.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gries 2001, p. 87.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gries 2001, pp. 88–89.
^ BurchillRoss 1977, p. 186.
^ Sassenbach 1926, p. 102.
^ UIA 2006, online.

Sources

Books

Burchill, Frank; Ross, Richard (1977). A History of the Potters' Union. Hanley: Ceramic and Allied Trades Union. ISBN 978-0-906210-01-7.
Chen, Martha Alter (2005). Progress of the World's Women 2005: Women, Work, & Poverty. United Nations Publications. ISBN 978-1-932827-26-2. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
Gries, Rainer (2001). "Overview of the Development of International Trade Union Organisations". International Trade Union Organisations (PDF). Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 June 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
Rojot, Jacques (2006). "International Collective Bargaining". In Morley, Michael J.; Gunnigle, Patrick; Collings, David (eds.). Global Industrial Relations. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-33079-9.
Sassenbach, Johannes (1926). Twenty-five Years of International Trade Unionism. Amsterdam: International Federation of Trade Unions. OCLC 12336259.

Articles

Sarkar, Santanu; Kuruvilla, Sarosh (19 January 2020). Constructing Transnational Solidarity: The Role of Campaign Governance. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 58(1). pp. 27–49. doi:10.1111/bjir.12465. Retrieved 19 October 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
"Workers of world in new forum". The New York Times. Vienna. International Herald Tribune. 1 November 2006. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.

Profiles

"International Committee of Entertainment and Media Unions". Yearbook of International Organizations. Union of International Associations. 14 October 1999. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
"World Federation of Building and Woodworkers Unions (WFBWU)". Yearbook of International Organizations. Union of International Associations. 26 June 2006. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.

[2] Indicates year current name adopted

[1] Rojot 2006, p. 258.

[BWI-3] Chen 2005, p. 81.

[P86-4] Gries 2001, p. 86.

[5] Fish, Jennifer (2017). Domestic Workers of the World Unite! A Global Movement for Dignity and Human Rights. New York: NYU Press.

[6] Gries 2001, p. 88

[P89-7] Gries 2001, p. 89

[IUF-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gries 2001, p. 91

[UNI-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Gries 2001, p. 92-93

[P90-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Gries 2001, p. 90.

[11] UIA 1999, online.

[P87-12] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gries 2001, p. 87.

[ITGLWF-13] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gries 2001, pp. 88–89.

[14] BurchillRoss 1977, p. 186.

[15] Sassenbach 1926, p. 102.

[16] UIA 2006, online.

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