International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers


The International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers was a global union federation bringing together trade union representing workers in the chemical and oil industries.

History

The secretariat was established in 1954 at a meeting in Paris, held on the initiative of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the Oil Workers' International Union of the United States. It was formed in response to the growth of employment in the oil industry, and was initially named the International Federation of Petroleum Workers. Most of its founder members had previously been affiliated to the International Federation of Industrial Organisations and General Workers' Unions.
The secretariat was based in Denver, and was the only global union federation to have headquarters outside Europe. By 1960, it had 43 affiliates, with a membership of more than 500,000. In 1963, the union began recruiting unions of chemical workers, and renamed itself as the "International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers". This brought it into conflict with the IFF, which renamed itself as the "International Federation of Chemical and General Workers' Unions", and the ICFTU suspended grants to both organisations.
By the late 1960s, it became known that the IFPCW was receiving regular grants from CIA funds, and it became regarded as a CIA front organisation. Faced with a loss of prestige, it discussed a potential merger with the ICF, but this did not occur, and it dissolved in 1976.

Affiliates

In 1960, the following unions were affiliated to the federation:
UnionCountryAffiliated membership
Autonomous Union of Italian Petroleum WorkersItalyUnknown
Bengal Oil and Petrol Workers' UnionIndiaUnknown
Cartel of Unions of Research and Development Engineers in HydrocarbonsFranceUnknown
Central Islamic Labour Union of IndonesiaIndonesiaUnknown
Chemical, Paper and Ceramic UnionWest Germany10,000
Consolidated Mobil Oil Workers' Union of Nigeria and CameroonsNigeriaUnknown
Federation of Petroleum and Related Industries' Workers of PeruPeru1,000
Hind Oil Kamger SabhaIndia600
HistadrutIsrael2,400
Gambia Workers' UnionGambiaUnknown
General Union of Petroleum WorkersTunisiaUnknown
General Union of Petroleum WorkersUnited Arab Republic20,000
General Union of Workers in Miscellaneous IndustriesNetherlands1,400
Kenya Chemical Workers' UnionKenyaUnknown
Kenya Petroleum and Oil Workers' UnionKenya2,500
Lebanese Petroleum Company Employees' and Workers' UnionLebanon75
Madras Kerosene Oil Workers' UnionIndiaUnknown
Mobil Oil Company Employees' UnionLebanon140
Mobil Oil Workers' UnionLebanon140
National Federation of Engineers and Supervisory EmployeesFrance300
National Federation of MinersFrance600
National Federation of Petroleum and Products WorkersCuba10,919
National Federation of Workers in Commercial Distribution Companies of Mining Products and Combustible MaterialsBrazil40,000
National Federation of Workers in the Chemical, Parachemical and Glass IndustriesFrance4,000
Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International UnionCanada10,000
Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International UnionUnited States200,000
Oil Companies' Field Staff AssociationIndia150
Oilfield Workers' FederationBritish West Indies Federation12,000
Pakistan Petroleum Workers' FederationPakistan12,000
Panhellenic Federation of Petroleum Workers and EmployeesGreece5,000
Petroleum Employees' UnionIndia800
Petroleum Employees' Union of CeylonCeylonUnknown
Petroleum Workers' Federation of ArubaNetherlands Antilles3,000
Petroleum Workers' Federation of CuraçaoNetherlands Antilles6,200
Petroleum Workers' Trade UnionLibyaUnknown
Singapore Petroleum Workers' UnionSingapore989
Swiss Textile and Factory Workers' UnionSwitzerlandUnknown
Turkish Petroleum Workers' UnionTurkey6,000
Union of Metal, Mining and EnergyAustriaUnknown
Union of Oil and Methane Gas WorkersItaly8,795
Union of Oil and Petroleum WorkersGhana2,200
Union of Organised Petroleum WorkersVenezuela1,300
Union of Petroleum Workers of ColombiaColombia20,000

Leadership

General Secretaries

Presidents