Together at the table

A richly illustrated and beautifully designed book about the history of the Socialist Food Central. nIn co-edition with Amsab - Institute for Social HistorynnThe Central Food-Catering-Services of the ABVVis a hundred years old. In 1908, the National Federation of Food Workers was founded by the Federation of Chocolate Workers and Confectioners on the one hand and the National Federation of Bakers' Guests on the other. In 1930, the catering staff joined these two trade unions. In the three fascinating chapters of this book, the chocolate workers and confectioners play the leading role, then the bakers and finally the catering staff. The author studies their living environment and their situation on the work floor to investigate why they created trade unions, and then examines their trade unions. However, none of these people would have had a job if there had been no demand for the product they made or the services they provided. Chocolate and bread, cafés, restaurants and hotels therefore play an important role in the story of these workers, because they each shaped the history and the creation of the Food Centre and - as a result - the development of the Belgian trade union movement.