The International Federation Textile-Clothing (IFTC/FITH) was an International Trade Federation of the World Confederation of Labour (WCL).
History The federation traced its history to 1901, when the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions of Textile Workers was established at a meeting in Düsseldorf. The organisation ceased to operate during World War I, but was revived in 1921.Yearbook of International Organizations (1997), vol.1A By 1935, it had affiliates in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
It later merged with the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions in the Clothing and Allied Trades, and changed its name to the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions of Textile and Garment Workers, then in 1971 it became the International Federation of Textile and Clothing Workers' Unions.
In 2006, the WCL merged with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, and in November 2007, the IFTC merged into the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF).
Organisation The federation worked closely with the Latin American Federation of Industrial and Construction Workers (FLATIC), and the Asian Trade Federation for the Mixed Industries Group, both WCL-affiliated bodies. In Europe, it instead worked with the European Trade Union Committee for Textiles, Clothing and Leather, which was dominated by ITGLWF affiliates.
Leadership General Secretaries 1921: Albert van der Meijs 1940s: H. A. C. Huysmans 1974: Clem Pauwels 1990s: Bart Bruggeman 2000s: Jaap Jongejan
Presidents 1921: Bernhard Otte 1933: Heinrich Fahrenbach 1940s: Prosper van Wesemael 1970s: Lucien Fruru 1990s: Jacques Jouret 2000s: Dirk Uyttenhove
References
External links www.cmt-wcl.org, detail from the WCL website.