Trade Unions International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers

The Trade Unions International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers was a trade union international affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions. It was often known by its French initials, ICPS (Union Internationale des Syndicats des Industries, Chimiques, du Petroles et Similares).

History

The Union was established at a conference in Budapest, Hungary in March 1950 as the Trade Unions International of Chemical and Allied Workers. It changed its name in 1954 when it expanded its scope to include oil workers. It also represented workers in the glassware, paper and ceramic industries.

In 1998 a Conference was held in Havana which merged Trade Unions International of Energy Workers (formerly known as the Trade Unions International of Miners) and Trade Union International of Metal and Engineering Workers to form the Trade Union International of Energy, Metal, Chemical, Oil and Allied Industries. This organization was reorganized again as the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers in 2007. This left the metal workers an opportunity create a new TUI the next year, Trade Union International of Workers in the Mining, the Metallurgy and the Metal Industries.

Organization

The TUI was governed by an international trade conference held every four years. The Conference drew up the groups program, made policy decisions and elected an administrative committee. The latter consisted of 25 members drawn from 20 countries and met once a year. The bureau, composed of the TUI president, vice-presidents, general secretary and secretaries met to ensure the fulfillment of the administrative committees decisions and a permanent secretariat oversaw day-to-day operations. Industrial Commissions were also set up to deal with specific issues. In 1978 there commissions on oil (drilling, refining, oil pipelines, distribution), chemicals-pharmaceuticals, paper board, pulp, cellulose, rubber, glass and ceramics.

In 1955 its headquarters were reported to be in Bucharest, Romania. In 1958 its headquarters was reported to be at 17 Sztalin ter, Budapest VI, Hungary. From 1978 to 1989 it was reported to be at 1415 Budapest, sometimes given the street name Benczur ut 45. In 1991 it was reported at EM26, H 1097.

Membership

In 1958 the ICPS claimed membership in 25 countries. In 1976 it claimed 7 million members in 59 affiliated unions in 37 countries. In 1985 it claimed 13 million members in 100 affiliate in 50 countries.

In 1975 the following unions were affiliated with ICPS:

Publications

The Union published an Information Bulletin and Information Sheet.

Leadership

General Secretaries

1950: Ferenc Bozsoki

1959: Georges Vanhaute

1967: Pal Forgacs

c.1980: Alain Covet

Presidents

1950: Bianchi

1950s: Luciano Lama

c.1960: Laszlo Gal

Ferenc Dajka

References

Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions Washington Office of International Labor Affairs, December 1958 p.52
Project for Articles of Association p.16
Europa World Year Book London; Taylor & Francis, 2004 p.342
Coldrick, A. Percy and Jones, Philip. The international directory of the trade union movement New York : Facts on File, p.179
Coldrick and Jones p.194
Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions Washington Office of International Labor Affairs, June 1955 p.49
Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions 1958 p.52
The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945-1985. Prague; Published by the WTFU in cooperation with PRACE Czechoslovak Trade Unions 1985 p.150
Coggins, John Trade unions of the world 1989-1990 Harlow : Longman, 1989 2nd ed. p.451
Upham, Martin Trade unions of the world, 1992-1993. Harlow, Essex, U.K. : Longman; Detroit, Mich. : Distributed exclusively in the U.S. and Canada by Gale Research Inc., 1991 p.558
Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions] December 1958 p.52
Coldrick and Jones p.178
Coldrick and Jones p.180
The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945-1985 p.150
Coldrick and Jones p.181
Coldrick and Jones p.180

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