World Confederation of Labour
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| Full name | World Confederation of Labour |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1920 |
| Date dissolved | 31 October 2006 |
| Merged into | ITUC |
| Members | 26 million in 116 countries[1] |
| Affiliation | International |
| Office location | Brussels, Belgium |
| Country | International |
| Website | www.cmt-wcl.org |
The World Confederation of Labour (WCL) was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian 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.
The WCL was founded at The Hague in 1920 under the name of the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions (IFCTU) as a confederation of trade unions associated with the Christian Democratic parties of Europe. Originally catering to Roman Catholic constituencies, the IFCTU was designed to provide an alternative to the secular trade unions in Europe at the time, basing its foundation on the Rerum novarum and the Quadragesimo anno.
The first statutes adopted by the group proclaimed its intention to struggle not only for workers' labour rights, but also values like human dignity, democracy, and international solidarity.Jos Serrarens became the first secretary-general of the IFCTU; Joseph Scherrer was its first president.
In the late 1920s, global economic tumult compounded the growth of authoritarian governments in Europe, which the IFCTU opposed. In response, German officials of the 1930s sent the group's leaders to Nazi concentration camps, and Benito Mussolini banned its Italian affiliate.
During World War II, German forces occupying The Netherlands destroyed the organization's , and it became inactive until 1945. The federation had difficulty renewing ties with most of its affiliates in Eastern Europe after the end of the war.
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