The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation of Trade Unions as a single structure for trade unions world-wide. With the emergence of the Cold War in the late 1940s, the WFTU splintered, with most trade unions from the Western-aligned countries leaving and creating the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in 1949. Throughout the Cold War, membership of the WFTU was made up predominantly of trade unions from the Soviet-aligned and non-aligned countries. However, there were notable exceptions to this, such as the Yugoslav and Chinese unions, which departed following the Tito-Stalin and Sino-Soviet splits, respectively, or the French CGT and Italian CGIL unions, who were members. With the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the WFTU lost the largest portion of its membership and financial support. Since the start of the 2000s, the organization shifted headquarters to Athens and recruited new members, claiming to have grown from representing 48 million workers in 2005 to 105 million in 2022.
The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, founded in 1895 in the city of Limoges. It is the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.
The World Confederation of Labour (WCL) was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Fascist governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the end of World War II. In 2006 it became part of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), ending its existence as an independent organization.
Education International (EI) is a global union federation (GUF) of teachers' trade unions consisting of 401 member organizations in 172 countries and territories that represents over 30 million education personnel from pre-school through university. It is one of the world's largest sectoral global union federations.
Sahrawi Trade Union, also known as UGTSARIO, is the labor organization of the Polisario Front.
The Trade Union International of Chemical, Energy, Metal, Oil and Allied Workers (CHEMISTRY-ENERGY) is a sectoral body affiliated to the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). The international federations of national trade unions are organized in specific industry sectors or occupational groups.
The Italian General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union centre in Italy. It was formed by an agreement between socialists, communists, and Christian democrats in the "Pact of Rome" of June 1944. In 1950, socialists and Christian democrats split forming UIL and CISL, and since then the CGIL has been influenced by the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and until recent years by its political heirs: the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), the Democrats of the Left (DS) and currently the Democratic Party (PD).
The Workers Central Union of Cuba is the trade union federation in Cuba. It originated as the Confederación de Trabajadores de Cuba in 1939 and changed its name to the Central Union of Cuban Workers in 1961.
Anarchism in Greece traces its roots to ancient Greece but was formed as a political movement during the 19th century. It was in the ancient era that the first libertarian thoughts appeared when philosophers based on rationality questioned the fundamentals of tradition. Modern anarchism in Greece emerged in the 19th century, heavily influenced by the contemporary European classical anarchism. Because of the Bolshevik success in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of the Communist Party, anarchism faded after the first decades of the 20th century. The collapse of the military junta put an end to the monopoly of the political power from the Right, whereas the dissolution of the Soviet Union diminished the allure of the Communist Party of Greece allowing anarchist groups to gain pace in Athens and other cities.
ROH, was a communist national trade union centre in Czechoslovakia 1945-1990. In Communist Czechoslovakia (1948-1989) it was a monopolistic trade union, wherein the membership was often mandatory for employees of state industries.
Irving Brown was an American trade unionist and leader in the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and subsequently the AFL-CIO. Brown played a prominent role in Western Europe and Africa during the Cold War in splintering communist-led labor movements. Along with former Communist Party of the USA member Jay Lovestone, he founded the American Institute for Free Labor Development in 1962.
The International Federation of Trade Unions was an international organization of trade unions, existing between 1919 and 1945. IFTU had its roots in the pre-war IFTU.
Andreas Ziartides was a Cypriot trade unionist and politician.
The Trade Union International of Workers in Tourism and Hotels (HOTOUR) is a trade union international affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions
Aristeidis Dimitratos (1902–1986) was a Greek trade union functionary and politician. Dimitratos was a founding member of the Socialist Workers' Party of Greece (SEKE), precursor to the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and General Secretary of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE). Dimitratos flipped from the left wing to the right wing during the dictatorial regime of Ioannis Metaxas, serving as Minister of Labor from 1936 to 1941. During the Axis occupation of Greece, Dimitratos fled the country, remaining as Minister of Labor in the Greek government in exile until dismissed in February 1942 in a move to liberalize that body.
Luca Visentini is an Italian trade unionist. Elected general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) at the organisation's 5th World Congress in Melbourne, Australia, in mid-November 2022, he stood aside on 14 December 2022 following his arrest and conditional release in relation to the Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament. On 11 March 2023, the ITUC General Council voted to dismiss Visentini for accepting funds from Antonio Panzeri.
Jacobus Hendrik Oldenbroek was a Dutch trade union leader and politician, who served as general secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
Walter Schevenels was a Belgian trade union official.
Louis André Saillant was a French trade unionist and resistance fighter.
Pierre Gensous was a French trade unionist.
