International Union of Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Workers
# International Union of Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Workers

The International Union of Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Workers (IUHR) was a global union federation bringing together trade unions representing hospitality workers.

## History

In the late 19th- and early 20th-century, the Union of German Restaurant Workers was by far the strongest in Europe, and it established branches in many other countries, in cities to which German workers had migrated. In 1908, it organised a conference in Berlin which established the international union, with headquarters in the city.

The secretariat ceased operations during World War I, but was re-established in 1920 at a conference in Amsterdam. Its headquarters were in Amsterdam for four years, before returning to Berlin, then moved to The Hague around the end of the decade. After World War II, it was again re-established, on this occasion based in Stockholm.

In its early years, the IUHR was one of the smaller international trade secretariats. By 1925, it had 13 affiliates, with a total of 57,077 members, but it grew rapidly after World War II, and by 1960 its 15 affiliates had a total of 550,000 members. In 1961, it merged into the International Union of Food, Drink and Tobacco Workers' Associations, which renamed itself as the "International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations".

## Affiliates

In 1960, the following unions were affiliated to the IUHR:

| Union | Country | Affiliated membership |
| - | - | - |
| Danish Hotel and Restaurant Personnel's Union | Denmark | 1,500 |
| Dutch Union of Hotel, Cafe and Restaurant Personnel | Netherlands | 5,980 |
| Food, Stimulants, Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union | West Germany | 23,495 |
| Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union | United States | 438,061 |
| Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union | Austria | 13,508 |
| Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union | Finland | 4,493 |
| Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union | Norway | 7,695 |
| Italian Union of Hotel and Restaurant Workers | Italy | Unknown |
| Skilled Cooks' Union | Denmark | 2,544 |
| Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union | Sweden | 26,085 |
| Union Helvetia | Switzerland | 11,468 |
| Union of Commerce, Transport and Food | Switzerland | 726 |
| Union of Food and Hotel Workers | Belgium | 6,000 |
| Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers | United Kingdom | 5,000 |
| Waiters' Union of Denmark | Denmark | 6,947 |

## General Secretaries

    1908: Albert Baumeister
    1912: Hugo Poetzsch
    1920: J. G. van Heusden
    1924: Rudolf Ströhlinger
    1933: P. F. Loncke
    1937: Henry Sjöh
