The International Federation of Bookbinders and Kindred Trades was a global union federation representing unions of bookbinders.
History In 1902, the Austrian bookbinders' union suggested organising an international conference of bookbinders, and this took place in Germany in 1904. The conference agreed to build closer relationships between the unions in attendance, and the Union of Bookbinders and Paper Workers of Germany issued a questionnaire on what form these should take. The responses were inconclusive, but the Austrian union was keen on forming an international federation, and in 1907, the German union agreed to host a founding conference in Nuremberg.
The headquarters of the federation were established in Berlin, but in 1920 they moved to Bern. By 1925, the federation had 17 affiliates, with a total of 79,800 members, dropping to 42,072 in 1935. At this point, its largest affiliate was the British National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers, with other affiliates in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Hungary, Finland, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.
In 1939, the federation agreed to merge with the Lithographers' International and the International Typographers' Secretariat. However, due to World War II, no progress was made until 1946, when the British Printing and Kindred Trades Federation established a committee which drafted a constitution for a merged organisation. This was established in 1949, as the International Graphical Federation.
Affiliates In 1922, the following unions were affiliated:
Union Country Membership Union of Bookbinders and Paperworkers in Austria Austria 5,978 Central Union of Bookbinders Belgium 2,898 Czechoslovakia 3,656 Danish Bookbinders' and Stationers' Union Denmark 3,009 French Federation of Book Workers France 1,457 Union of Bookbinders and Paper Workers of Germany Germany 98,810 Hungary 3,949 Italy 13,300 Netherlands 4,097 Norwegian Union of Bookbinders and Cardboard Workers Norway 1,528 Swedish Bookbinders' Union Sweden 2,700 Swiss Bookbinders' Union Switzerland 1,266 National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers United Kingdom 24,000 Association of Graphic Workers of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 846
Leadership General Secretaries 1907: Emil Kloth 1920: Heinrich Hochstrasser 1936: Kristian Eriksen
Presidents 1920: Eugen Haueisen 1933: Corneel Mertens? 1935: Jos Van Staeyen
References