The federation was established in 1934 by a merger of the
International Federation of Building Workers and
International Federation of Wood Workers. The
International Secretariat of Stone Masons and the
International Secretariat of Painters and Allied Trades later joined the organisation. , it had 287 member organisations in 124 countries, representing a combined membership of more than 10 million workers. The IFBWW was based in
Geneva and had a network of regional offices. The organisation worked closely with the
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the other global union federations, and had Special Consultative Status at the
Economic and Social Committee of the
United Nations. The IFBWW held a congress every four years, consisting of delegates from the member organisations. The congress established priorities and strategy for the organisation, and elected the Executive Committee. which met immediately before and after the congress, and at the midpoint of the congress period. As supreme governing body during the intercongress period, it was responsible for all policies and operations of the IFBWW. The Executive Committee appointed a Management Committee, which was responsible for the administration of the IFBWW and for the implementation of its policies. At its congress in Buenos Aires on 9 December 2005 the IFBWW merged with the
World Federation of Building and Wood Workers (WFBW) to create a new joint global union federation, the
Building and Wood Workers' International. ==Affiliates==