The Trade Unions International of Miners was a trade union international affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions.
History The union was founded at a Constituent Conference in Florence, Italy held July 16–19, 1949.The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945-1985. Prague; Published by the WTFU in cooperation with PRACE Czechoslovak Trade Unions 1989 p.194 In 1983 it expanded its scope, with unions including the British National Union of Mineworkers joining, and became the Trade Unions International of Miners and Energy Workers.Ronald Payne and Gary Busch, "Scargill goes international", The Spectator, 30 November 1985 In 1986 it became the Trade Unions International of Energy Workers before ceasing activities.Project for Articles of Association p.16 The TUI temporarily suspended activities after the collapse of communism in Europe, but re-emerged at a conference in Havana in 1998. It joined with the Trade Union International of Metal and Engineering Workers and the Trade Unions International of Chemical, Oil and Allied Workers to form the new Trade Unions International of Energy, Mining, Chemical, Oil and Allied Industries. This organization was reformed again in 2007 adopting the name Trade Union International of Energy Workers. The metal workers then formed a new Trade Union International of Workers in the Mining, the Metallurgy and the Metal IndustriesProject for Articles of Association p.16
Organization The union had a controlling congress, a directing committee, a bureau and permanent secretariat.Coldrick, A. Percy and Jones, Philip. The international directory of the trade union movement New York : Facts on File, p.204 Special Commissions were also set up to deal with specific issues. In 1978 there commissions on the coal mining, other mining industries and health and safety.Coldrick and Jones p.194 In 1985 there were commissions on energy, transnational corporations, peace and disarmament, as well as health and safety.The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945-1985 p.154 In 1955 its headquarters were reported to be at Seilerstaette 3, Vienna 1, Austria. It shared the address with the Trade Unions International of Transport Workers, the World Federation of Teachers Unions and the Trade Unions International of Workers of the Metal and Mechanical Industries.Directory of World Federation of Trade Unions Washington Office of International Labor Affairs, June 1955 pp.47-8 By 1957 it had relocated to 100 Janská Prague 1. It again shared its address with the Transport and Metal Workers TUI.Facts about international Communist front organisations p.32 In 1978 its headquarters was reported at Kopernika 36/40 Warsaw,Coldrick and Jones p.195 an address it kept to at least 1991.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
Publications
The Union published Miners International News in English, French and Spanish from 1956 until at least the late 1970s.Miners' International News.Coldrick and Jones p.195 In 1972 it began a quarterly, The Messenger, directed only to members of the administrative committee.Coldrick and Jones p.195 The Union published a fortnightly called Miners of the World in French, Russian and Spanish. This became Bulletin (Trade Unions International of Miners and Workers in Energy) in 1984.The World Federation of Trade Unions, 1945-1985 p.155Miners of the world
Leadership General Secretaries 1950: Henri Turrel 1955: Victorin Duguet 1965: Lucien Labrune 1970: Attilio Francini 1980: Alain Simon 1985: Eugeniusz Mielnicki 1980s: Mieczyslaw Jurek
Presidents 1950: Stefan Ciołkowski 1959: Michal Specjal 1972: Jan Les 1981: Jan Konieczny 1985: François Duteil 1994: François Duteil and Arthur Scargill
See also International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions
References