Leather Workers' Union
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The Leather Workers' Union () was a
trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
representing workers in the leather and shoe industries in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. The union was established in 1919, on the initiative of the Belgian Shoeworkers' Union, which merged into it. Compared to its forerunner, the new union had a far more centralised structure, and it looked to expand by absorbing smaller unions. In 1921, the glove makers' union joined, and overall membership reached 10,000. However, the union struggled to recruit the approximately 15,000 Jewish workers in the leather trades. In 1939, the Union of Clothing Workers and Kindred Trades in Belgium proposed a merger, but the Leather Workers' Union rejected the idea.{{cite web , title=CENTRALE DER LEDER- EN VELLENBEWERKING VAN BELGIË (1919-1952) , url=http://www.odis.be/lnk/OR_7408 , website=ODIS , accessdate=29 January 2020 In the early 1950s, there was a major strike in the shoemaking trade in
Izegem Izegem (; ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Izegem proper and the towns of Emelgem and Kachtem. Emelgem was added to Izegem in 1965, Kachtem in 1977. Izegem itse ...
. The Leather Workers' Union feared that it would be unable to sustain the action, but the
General Union A general union is a trade union (called ''labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A gen ...
gave its support. Concerned about its viability, the Leather Workers' Union merged into the General Union on the 1 January 1953.


References

Leather industry trade unions Trade unions in Belgium Trade unions established in 1919 Trade unions disestablished in 1953 1919 establishments in Belgium 1953 disestablishments in Belgium