How to Pronounce Corneel Mertens
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Jan 29, 1880 Antwerp, Flemish Region, Belgium Died on 18 Mar 1951 (aged 71)
Belgian politician
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About Corneel Mertens
- Corneille Mertens (29 January 1880 – 18 March 1951) was a Belgian trade unionist and politician. Born in the St Andrey area of Antwerp, Mertens became a bookbinder, and taught himself to speak several languages.
- He joined the Bookbinders' Union of Antwerp, and in 1905 was elected as its general secretary.
- He proved successful in the role, and in 1911 moved to become the full-time secretary of the Belgian National Trade Union Centre.
- In 1913, he was elected to the executive of the Belgian Labour Party, with responsibility for trade union matters.
- As a trade union leader, he focused on achieving an eight-hour working day, forming joint industrial committees with employers, and opposing communism.After World War I, Mertens was elected as a vice president of the International Federation of Trade Unions, and served on its executive committee.
- From 1919 to 1937, he also served as the president of the workers' group in the International Labour Organization.In 1925, Metens was co-opted as a member of the Belgian Senate.
- He retired from his trade union posts shortly before World War II, but remained a senator until 1949.
