The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) is a global union federation

Global union federation

A global union federation is an international federation of national and regional trade unions organising in specific industry sectors or occupational groups, previously known as international trade secretariats [ITSs]....

. , it has 217 member organizations in 110 countries, representing a combined membership of over 10 million workers.

The ITGLWF was founded in 1970 as a result of the merger of the International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation and the International Shoe and Leather Workers' Federation. These organisations had been preceded by other much older ones: The International Glove Workers' Union was founded in 1892, the International Secretariat of Shoemakers in 1893, and the International Secretariat of Leather Workers in 1896. The International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations originated in 1893 and the International Tailors' Secretariat in 1896.

The organization holds a congress every four years, consisting of delegates from the member organisations. The congress establish the broad lines of the ITGLWF's policies and actions.

The organisation's headquarters is located in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. There are four regional organisations within the ITGLWF: FITTVCC/ORI, the Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

' regional organisation, based in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

; ITGLWF/ERO, the European regional organisation, based in Belgium; TWARO, the Asian regional organisation, based in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

; and ARCC, the African Regional Consultative Council, based in South Africa.

The ITGLWF works closely with the International Trade Union Confederation

International Trade Union Confederation

The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...

and the other global union federations.

External links

• International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation official site