The International Federation of Boot and Shoe Operatives and Leather Workers was a global union federation representing unions of shoemakers and leather workers, principally in Europe.
History An International Federation of Boot and Shoe Operatives was founded in 1889 in Paris, while the International Workers Congress was underway. It was headquartered in Zurich, and led by a secretary named Martens. It achieved an agreement between unions in several countries that shoemakers who travelled to another country would have their membership benefits honoured, and some support was given to major industrial actions. But most of the member unions took little interest in the federation. It was moribund from 1897, and dissolved in 1900.
In 1907, a conference in Stuttgart agreed to establish a new federation of the same name. Led by Josef Simon, it was based in Nuremberg. In 1919, it renamed itself as the International Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives, Leather, Skin and Hide Workers. In 1921, the International Federation of Saddlers' Unions and the International Union of Leather Workers merged in, and the federation became the "International Federation of Boot and Shoe Operatives and Leather Workers". By 1925, it had 26 affiliates, with a total of 357,504 members.
In 1933, due to the rise to power of the Nazis, the federation's headquarters were moved to London, and George Chester took over as general secretary. It became moribund during World War II, but in 1946, was reconstituted as the International Shoe and Leather Workers' Federation (ISLWF).Yearbook of the International Free Trade Union Movement (1957), p.570
The federation merged in 1970 with the International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation, forming the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation.
Affiliates In 1960, the following unions were affiliated to the federation:
Union Country Affiliated membership Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation Australia 23,000 Danish Shoemakers' Union Denmark 5,600 Danish Tanners' Union Denmark 860 Federation of Hides, Leather, and Kindred Trades France 3,500 Federation of Leather Workers Greece 6,000 General Union Belgium 6,500 General Union of Miscellaneous Industries Netherlands 1,440 Glovemakers' Union of Denmark Denmark 230 Irish Shoe and Leather Workers' Union Ireland 4,272 United Italian Federation of Clothing Workers Italy 6,424 Leather Union West Germany 90,300 National Federation of the Shoe Industry Cuba 1,672 National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives United Kingdom 77,417 National Union of Leather Workers South Africa 8,000 New Zealand Federated Footwear Trade Union New Zealand 3,544 Norwegian Union of Shoe Makers Norway 4,248 Norwegian Union of Hide and Leather Workers Norway 1,550 Rossendale Union of Boot, Shoe and Slipper Operatives United Kingdom 7,190 Swedish Saddlemakers' and Upholsterers' Union Sweden 1,393 Swedish Shoe and Leather Workers' Union Sweden 10,500 Swiss Clothing, Leather and Equipment Workers' Union Switzerland 3,000 Transvaal Leather and Allied Trades Industrial Union South Africa 3,000 United Unions Sweden 4,342 Upholsterers' Union of Denmark Denmark 1,000 Union of Textile, Clothing and Leather Workers Austria 13,000
General Secretaries 1907: Josef Simon 1933: George Chester 1949: James Crawford 1957: Sydney Robinson
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