The International Clothing Workers' Federation (IGWF) was a global union federation representing workers involved in making and repairing clothes.
History The federation was established in 1893 at a conference in Zürich. The following year, it established headquarters in Berlin, moving to Amsterdam in 1920. It held conferences in different European locations every three to four years. In 1925, the International Furriers' Secretariat merged into the organisation, giving the organisation 29 affiliates with a total of 315,000 members.
The federation ceased to operate during World War II, but was re-established in 1946, based in London. In 1949, it was refounded as the International Garment Workers' Federation, which in 1960 merged with the International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations to form the International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation.
Affiliates In 1954, the following unions were affiliated to the federation:
Union Country Affiliated membership Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America United States 282,212 Clothing and Hat Federation France 5,000 Danish Clothing Workers' Union Denmark 22,204 Danish Hatters' and Furriers' Union Denmark Unknown Felt Hatters', Trimmers' and Allied Workers' Unions United Kingdom 5,487 General Industrial Union of Textiles and Clothing Netherlands 4,500 International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union United States 368,000 National Union of Hosiery Workers United Kingdom 40,539 National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers United Kingdom 120,417 Norwegian Union of Clothing Workers Norway 15,500 Swedish Clothing Workers' Union Sweden 32,167 Swiss Clothing, Leather and Equipment Workers' Union Switzerland 3,360 Tailor, Tent, Sailmaker and Garment Workers' Union Kenya 1,250 Textile and Clothing Union West Germany 75,000 Union of Clothing Workers Finland 5,000 Union of Clothing Workers and Kindred Trades in Belgium Belgium 9,500 Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers United Kingdom 15,000 Union of Textile and Clothing Workers Luxembourg 333 Union of Textile, Clothing and Leather Workers Austria 4,000 United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union (UHCMW) United States 32,000 United Italian Federation of Clothing Workers Italy 53,000
Leadership General Secretaries 1894: Clara Zetkin 1900: Heinrich Stühmer 1920: Tonnis van der Heeg 1946: Andrew Conley 1949: Ian Milner 1956: John Newton
Presidents 1910s: William P. Arup 1920: Martin Plettl 1933: Josef Andersson as of 1957: Per Petterson
References