Walter Schevenels (11 November 1894 – 6 March 1966) was a Belgian trade union official. Born in

Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...

, Schevenels' father was the secretary of the National Federation of Metal Workers, and Walter followed in his footsteps, soon becoming secretary of the union's Antwerp region. In 1929, Schevenels was selected to become deputy general secretary of the

International Federation of Trade Unions The International Federation of Trade Unions (also known as the Amsterdam International) was an international organization of trade unions, existing between 1919 and 1945. IFTU had its roots in the pre-war International Secretariat of National Tr ...

(IFTU), and in 1931 he succeeded as its general secretary. He maintained a relatively low profile, opposing both fascism and communism, and focusing on ensuring the federation's survival through political and financial crises. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Schevenels ran the IFTU from London, and closely followed the policies of the British

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

(TUC). The TUC, in response, tried to get him elected as the first general secretary of the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...

(WFTU), but he was instead made assistant general secretary, with responsibility for industry. A few years later, the

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 whe ...

(ICFTU) was formed as an anti-communist split from the WFTU, and Schevenels again hoped to be elected as general secretary, but was opposed by the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual ...

on the grounds that he had co-operated with communists in the WFTU. Instead, he became the secretary of the

Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) is the interface of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with organized labour. TUAC has 59 affiliated trade union centres in 31 OECD countries, representing more ...

and soon also of the European Regional Organisation of the ICFTU, serving until his death in 1966. In 1945, he attended the

World Trade Union Conference The World Trade Union Conference was a conference that was held between 6–17 February 1945. The conference was participated by countries from all around the world, at the County Hall, London. Regarded as a significant moment within the internat ...

in London alongside many renowned trade unionists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schevenels, Walter 1894 births 1966 deaths Belgian trade unionists People from Anderlecht 20th-century Belgian people