Former global union federation (1921–1999)
International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees|
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| Predecessor | International Commercial Employees' Secretariat |
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| Merged into | Union Network International |
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| Founded | 10 August 1921 |
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| Dissolved | 31 December 1999 |
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| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
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Members | 11 million (1994)[1] |
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| Publication | FIET Info |
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| Affiliations | ICFTU |
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| Website | fiet.org |
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The International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees (FIET; French: Fédération internationale des employés, techniciens et cadres) was a global union federation bringing together workers representing clerical workers. The union was sometimes known as the International Federation of Employees, Technicians and Managers, or informally as the International Federation of White Collar Workers' Unions.
History
The first attempt to create an international federation of clerical workers was the International Commercial Employees' Secretariat, founded in Hamburg in 1909, and led by Edo Fimmen. It collapsed at the start of World War I. FIET was founded in 1921, in Vienna, as its replacement.[1][2]
Initially representing only European unions, after World War II the federation began admitting unions from around the world. The large majority of workers represented worked in banking, insurance, or as clerical staff in commerce and social services. In 1984, the International Secretariat of Entertainment Trade Unions became an autonomous section of the FIET.[1]
By 1994, membership of FIET had reached 11 million.[1] At the end of 1999, it merged with the Communications International, the International Graphical Federation, and the Media and Entertainment International, to form Union Network International.[3]
