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.[1] 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.[2] As a trade union leader, he focused on achieving an eight-hour working day, forming joint industrial committees with employers, and opposing communism.[3]

After World War I, Mertens was elected as a vice president of the International Federation of Trade Unions, and served on its executive committee.[2] From 1919 to 1937, he also served as the president of the workers' group in the International Labour Organization.[4] From 1924, he was additionally president of the Union of Bookworkers of Belgium.[5]

In 1925, Metens was co-opted as a member of the Belgian Senate.[1] He retired from his trade union posts shortly before World War II, but remained a senator until 1949.[3]