The federation was established in March 1991 by a variety of trade unions.
Its largest affiliates were all skilled unions focused on white workers, which had been part of the former Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUCSA).
This led to controversy, and when they elected a white general secretary, Willie Coetzee, some affiliates resigned, arguing that it simply represented a refounding of the TUCSA.
[1] By 1994, FITU claimed 24 affiliates, with a total of 236,000 members.
[3] In 1997, most of its affiliates transferred to the new Federation of Unions of South Africa, and FITU then dissolved.