World Federation of Trade Unions Archives
Period 1945-1987 (-1989)
Total size
1.8 m.
Consultation Not restricted
History
Founded October 1945 during the International Trade Union Congress in Paris; the delegates, including representatives of the American Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Soviet trade unions, agreed to set up a new world federation replacing the old International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) and the Red International of Labour Unions (PROFINTERN, 1920-1934), as result of the desire for unity, peace and progress after the Second World War; the development of the cold war and the increasing communist influence in the Executive Committee of the WFTU resulted from 1948 in the departure of the noncommunist organizations, in order to found their own organization in 1949, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU); the state dominated East European trade unions came to control the WFTU, especially since the Soviet trade unions constituted one-half of the membership; other members are from many countries in Asia and Latin America; the French Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) and, until 1978, the Italian Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL) are the only significant West European member unions; had its secretariat in Paris 1945-1951, in Vienna 1951-1956 and since 1956 in Prague; publishes monthly World Trade Union Movement, and weekly Flashes from the Trade Unions.
Content
Collection of documents received from Walter Schevenels, Assistent General Secretary (1945-January 1949), completed with other documents, mainly stencilled and printed material. Correspondence by Walter Schevenels 1946-1948; files of Schevenels on the trade union movement in Germany and other countries 1945-1948, the Pan African Conference 1947 etc., mainly consisting of correspondence, reports, clippings; documents on meetings of governing bodies of the WFTU: agenda, resolutions, proceedings (drafts and original), notes; files on congresses 1945-1982, meetings of the General Council 1947-1960, 1977 and the Executive Committee and Bureau 1945-1958, consisting of proceedings, resolutions, reports; documents on the split of the WFTU 1948-1949, on International Trade Departments of the WFTU 1946-1981 (-1986); circulars 1946-1966; press releases 1949-1963, 1979-1987; reports 1946-1947; press clippings 1944-1978.
NB. The main part of the papers of Walter Schevenels at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Processing information
Preliminary list by L.E.G. Schwidder
W.F.T.U. - LIST
| INV.NRS | |
| CONGRESSES 1945 - 1973 | 1 - 24 |
| GENERAL COUNCIL 1947 - 1960 | 25 - 37 |
| EXECUTIVE BUREAU AND COMMITTEE 1945 - 1958 | 38 - 94 |
| CONFERENCES 1947 - 1964 | 95 - 106 |
| REPORTS AND ENQUIRIES 1947 - 1949 | 107 - 117 |
| VARIOUS DOCUMENTS 1947 - 1978 | 118 - 144 |
| TRADE DEPARTMENTS 1946, 1949 - 1973 | 145 - 160 |
| W.F.T.U. - W. SCHEVENELS 1945 - 1960 | 161 - 208 |
LIST
CONGRESSES
- 1-16
-
Documents on the Second
World Trade Union Conference and the First World Trade Union Congress. Paris,
September 25 - October 8, 1945. 2 port.
- 2
- List of the Delegates and circulars of the Swiss Trade Union concerning the Conference (in German). 1 cover.
- 4
- Convenors' Notice of Second Meeting of the World Trade Union Conference for the purpose of adopting the constitution of the W.F.T.U. 1 cover.
- 6
- Report on the work of the Administrative Committee: Representation of World Labour in international agencies and organisations (By Sidney Hillman, U.S.A). 1 cover.
- 10
- Report of the Committee on Nominations to the General Council, the Executive Committee and the Auditors (by M. Tarasov, U.R.S.S.). 1 cover.
- 11
- Reports of the activities of the Trade Unions in Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Roumania and Spania and a Programme of the T.U. Organisations in the Colonies and Dependent Territories. 1 cover.
- 12
- Report by the Soviet Trade Union Delegation at the W.F.T.U.-Congress on the Question "The Execution by the National Trade Union Centres of the Decisions of the London World Trade Union Conference". 1 cover.
- 14
- Brochure concerning the foundation of the W.F.T.U. (in French: "Naissance à Paris de la Fédération Syndicale Mondiale"). 1 cover.
- 17
- Documents concerning the 2nd World Trade Union Congress, Milan, 29th June - 10th July, 1949. 1 cover.
- 19
- Documents concerning the 3rd World Congress of the W.F.T.U., Vienna, October 10-21, 1953. 1 folder.
GENERAL COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE BUREAU AND COMMITTEE
- 40-43
- Documents concerning the session of the Executive Bureau, 22 - 25 February 1946 in Paris. 1 folder.
- 44-54
-
Documents on the Session
of the Executive Bureau, 17 - 25 June, 1946, held in Moscow. 3 folders.
- 47
- Report on the relations between the W.F.T.U. and the Inter-allied Control Council in Berlin. 1 cover.
- 49
- Memorandum on the creation, the activities and the admittance to the W.F.T.U. of the Greek General Confederation of Labour. (2 copies). 1 cover..
- 51
- Report on the position, the activity and the decisions of the world trade union movement with regard to the struggle against the dictatorship of the General Franco in Spain. 1 cover.
- 52
- Report of the help of the W.F.T.U. to the trade unions in colonial countries or mandated territories. 1 cover.
- 55-62
-
Documents on the Session
of the Executive Bureau, 20 - 24 September 1946, held in Washington.
3 folders.
- 56
- Report concerning the relations of the W.F.T.U. with the Allied Control Council in Berlin (2 copies). 1 cover.
- 58
- Report by Léon Jouhaux, Vice-President of the W.F.T.U., on his visit to Greece. (2 copies). 1 cover.
- 63-65
- Documents on the Session of the Executive Bureau, 9 - 16 December 1946, held in Paris. 1 folder.
- 68
- Minutes of the Joint Meeting of the declaration of the Executive Bureau of the W.F.T.U. with the Advisory Committee of the I.T.S. on August 18 - 19, 1947, Paris. 1 cover.
- 69-74
- Documents on the Session of the Executive Bureau, 19th - 24th November, 1947, in Paris. 2 folders.
- 75-82
-
Documents concerning the
Session of the Executive Bureau held in Rome from 30th April to 4th May, 1948.
2 folders.
- 76
- Report on the creation of the Trade Departments, submitted to the Executive Bureau and Committee. 1 cover.
- 77
- Report on the relations between the W.F.T.U. with the Economic and Social Council of U.N.O., submitted to the Executive Bureau and Committee. 1 cover..
- 78
- Report on the activities of the W.F.T.U. in connection with the guarantee of exercise and extension of trade union rights, submitted to the Executive Bureau and Committee. 1 cover.
- 85
- Agenda (in French) and a List of Attendance of the Meeting of the Executive Committee, 4th - 10th May, 1948. 1 cover.
- 87
- Report concerning breaches of trade union rights, submitted to the United Nations Economic and Social Council by the W.F.T.U. (with resolution on this point adopted by the Executive Committee, May 1948). 1 folder.
- 88
- Reports of the Joint Meeting of the W.F.T.U. Executive Bureau and Representatives of the I.T.S., held in Paris, 14th - 16th September, 1948. 1 folder..
- 89
- Report on the Session of the Executive Bureau, Paris, 17th - 21st September, 1948. (2 copies). 1 folder.
- 90
- Reports and resolutions of the Meeting of the Executive Bureau, held in Paris, 17th - 21st September, 1948. 1 folder.
- 91
- Documents on the Session of the Executive Bureau, held in Paris, 17th - 22nd January, 1949. 1 folder.
CONFERENCES
- 95-106
-
Documents on various
conferences.
1947 - 1964.
2 port.
- 95-96
- Reports on the World Situation of the Coal Industry , presented to the Conference on Coal, Paris, January 6-8, 1947. (3 copies).
- 102
- European Conference against the danger of atomic war, for disarmament and peace, Berlin (DDR), June 1958. 1 folder.
- 104
- European Trade Union and Workers' Conference for a Peace Treaty with Germany, Disarmament and a Ban on Atomic Weapons, at Goerlitz-Zgorzelec on the Oder-Neisse Peace Frontier, May 8 - 10, 1959. 1 cover.
REPORTS AND ENQUIRES
- 110
- Report of the 2nd Commission of Enquiry of the W.F.T.U. on the situation in Germany. January-February 1947. 1 cover.
- 111
- Draft report and survey on the situation of women workers and the question of the retribution of female labour. 1947. 1 folder.
- 113
- Report of J.G. van Wouwe concerning the Social Security Policy in New-Zealand (in French). 1946. 1 cover.
- 114
- Report of J.G. van Wouwe concerning the trade union movement in the Netherlands (in French). 1946. 1 cover.
VARIOUS DOCUMENTS
- 118
- Documents concerning meetings of the Secretariat (in French) November 1947 - Juin 1948. 1 cover.
- 124
- Circulars and other documents concerning the relations between the W.F.T.U. and the International Trade Secretariats (I.T.S.). 1946 - 1948. 1 cover.
- 125
- Report of the Vincent Tewson concerning his visit to Greece, April 26 - May 3, 1947, and a resolution on Greece adopted by the General Council. 1947. 1 cover.
- 126
- Report of J.G. van Wouwe concerning the trade union situation in Congo, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (all reports are in French). 1946 - 1948. 1 cover.
- 128
- Speech by Louis Saillant, General Secretary of the W.F.T.U., on the Economic Situation in Europe, given at the 11th Session of the Economic Commission for Europe, Geneva, April 1956. 1 cover.
- 129
- Note by William Banks on the role of the W.F.T.U. in Soviet Middle East Strategy (1952/1953). 1 cover.
- 130
- Report: "Delegation Traffic through the Iron Curtain". The W.F.T.U. and East-West Exchange Visits and Correspondence; by Diana Jesselsen and Morris Weisz. 1953. 1 cover.
- 131
- Memorandum on "The Honest Lawyers" and the W.F.T.U.-Communist Campaign on Trade Union Rights and Civil Liberties, by Morris Weisz, Labor Advisor U.S.R.O. March 16, 1954. 1 cover.
- 132
- Memorandum on the W.F.T.U. Campaign on Trade Union and Democratic Rights and W.F.T.U. Utilization of U.N. and I.L.O., by Morris Weisz, June 2, 1954. 1 cover.
- 133
- Memorandum on West-Germany: New Field for C.G.T. Influence, by Morris Weisz, March 16, 1955. 1 cover.
W.F.T.U. TRADE DEPARTMENTS
- 145-160
-
Documents concerning
Trade Departments of the W.F.T.U.
1949
- 1981. 14 folders.
- 147
- Building Trades, Woodworkers and Building materials Workers Trade Unions' International. 1949 - 1950. 1 folder.
- 150
- Trade Union International of Food, Tobacco, Hotel and Allied Industries Workers. 1972. 1 folder.
W.F.T.U. - W. SCHEVENELS DOCUMENTS
- 162
- Minutes of the Session of the Executive Bureau held in Paris , 18 - 24 November 1947 (in French). 1 cover.
- 167
- Documents concerning the Meeting of the Executive Bureau and Committee, held in Rome, 30th April - 10th May 1948. 1 folder.
- 179
- Statement of Louis Saillant to the Ecosoc, Permanent Committee for non-governmental organisations. March 11, 1947 (Information Bulletin W.F.T.U.). 1947. 4 sheets.
- 188
- Letter from the General Secretary of the T.U.C. to W. Schevenels concerning the W.F.T.U. Information Bulletin. 1949. 1 sheet.
- 198
- Documents concerning the program of the meetings and sessions of the W.F.T.U.-organizations. 1946 - 1947. 1 cover.
- 205
-
Correspondence of
W. Schevenels as Assistant-Secretary-General of the W.F.T.U.
1946 - 1948. 1 folder.
Correspondents: Anti-Fascist Joint Committee
Banque Centrale des Cooperatives
Berman, Sprinzak
Bernasconi, Giacomo
Belina, Josef
Casparsson, Ragnar
Chambre de Commerce Internationale
Confédération Generale de Travail - Force Ouvrière
Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro
E.V.C.- Sobsi
Fassin, L.
FiĊĦera, Josef
Foreign Service of the U.S.A.
Gladwell, Jaqueline
Histadruth
International Labour Office
Kolb, Rob
La Place-Maitres, Françoise
Lecache, Bernard
Leton, Maurice
Lück, Käthe
Mage, J.
Matthews, R.
Ministre du Travail
National Council of Labour Colleges
Orillon, Imprimerie de l'
Petitjean, F.
Peyer, Karl
Political Representative of Finland
Reventlow, R.
Schulz, F.
Société Intercontinentale d'Assurance Pour le Commerce et l'Industrie
Szakszervezeti Tanäcs
Teltscher, Richard und Willy
Tokayev, Gregori
Trade Union Congress
Tyneside Council of Social Service