The International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (ICEF) was a global union federation of trade unions.
History The secretariat was founded in August 1907, as the International Federation of General Factory Workers, but became inactive during World War I. It was re-established on 27 October 1920 at a conference in Amsterdam, and set up its headquarters at 17 Museumplein in the city. By 1935, the federation had affiliates in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and Yugoslavia.
The federation held regular sectional conferences for the chemical industry. Following the collapse of the International Federation of Glass Workers, it added a glass industry section, with its first conference in 1938. Similarly, the International Federation of Pottery Workers dissolved before World War II, and in 1947, the federation held the first conference of its new pottery industry section. In 1954, it held a conference for the rubber industry.
In 1950, the federation was renamed as the International Federation of Industrial Organisations and General Workers' Unions (IFF), and then in 1964 it became the International Federation of Chemical and General Workers' Unions (ICF). At this time, the organisation was in competition with the International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers, but that collapsed in 1976, with many of its affiliates joining the IFCGW, which renamed itself as the International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (ICEF). Membership accordingly rose from four million to 6.3 million by 1992.James C. Docherty and Sjaak van der Velden, Historical Dictionary of Organized Labor, pp.140-141Union of International Associations, "International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (ICEF) " In 1995, the ICEF merged with the Miners' International Federation to form the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions.
Affiliates The federation rarely published a list of affiliates, but the following unions attended the federation's 1964 congress:
Union Country Amalgamated Engineering Union United Kingdom Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers United Kingdom Ceramic Federation Denmark Chemical Industry Workers' Federation Greece Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union West Germany Chemical Workers' Union Austria Chemistry Federation France Dam, Energy, Water and Irrigation Workers' Union of Turkey Turkey Danish General Workers' Union Denmark Danish Glass Workers' Union Denmark Danish Women Workers' Union Denmark Federation of Chemistry Italy Finnish General Workers' Union Finland Finnish Glass and Porcelain Workers' Union Finland General Union Belgium Glass Bottle Blowers' Association of the United States and Canada United States Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union United Kingdom Histadrut Israel International Chemical Workers' Union Canada/United States Italian Union of Chemical and Allied Industries Italy Japanese Federation of Chemical and General Workers' Unions Japan General Union of Miscellaneous Industries Netherlands National Federation of Building, Wood, Paper, Cardboard and Ceramics France National Union of Enginemen, Firemen, Mechanics and Electrical Workers United Kingdom National Union of General and Municipal Workers United Kingdom National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers United Kingdom National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Coppersmiths United Kingdom Norwegian Union of Chemical Industry Workers Norway Norwegian Union of Paper Industry Workers Norway Paper Industry Workers' Union Finland Swedish Factory Workers' Union Sweden Swedish Paper Workers' Union Sweden Turkish Cement and Pottery Workers' Union Turkey Turkish Cinema Workers' Union Turkey Turkish Glass and Pottery Workers' Union Turkey Turkish Pulp and Paper Workers' Union Turkey Turkish Rubber and Plastic Industry Workers' Union Turkey Union of Construction and Woodworkers Austria Union of Drugs and Chemical Industries Workers of Turkey Turkey Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers United Kingdom United Glass and Ceramics Workers of North America United States United Papermakers and Paperworkers United States
Leadership General Secretaries C. Sorrensen 1920: Roel Stenhuis 1929: Klaas de Jonge 1950: L. M. van Waasdijk 1954: Menzo ter Borch 1964: Charles Levinson 1984: Michael Boggs 1994: Vic Thorpe
Presidents 1920: James O'Grady 1925: August Brey 1933: Robert Nielsen 1945: Mark Hewitson 1950: Carl F. Lindahl 1953: Jim Matthews 1964: Wilhelm Gefeller 1970: Karl Hauenschild 1983: Moss Evans 1986: Nils Kristoffersson 1989: Hermann Rappe
References