Workers' sickness benefit association
Workers' sickness benefit associations were founded around the turn of the 20th century. The background was that workers, who mostly earned their living as day laborers , were without wages overnight in the event of illness and thus without income. This could plunge the affected family into dire straits.
As a result of this emergency, the workers, mostly in communities with a high proportion of workers, formed workers' sickness benefit associations. They bought their way into the association with an entry fee, paid a weekly contribution of a few pfennigs and, in an emergency, could rely on the solidarity of the association's members.
In the event of incapacity to work due to illness, the association supported its members with a daily sickness allowance that was not ample, but was sufficient to alleviate the worst misery. In addition, in the event of death, there was usually support for the bereaved to pay the funeral costs.
In order to prevent abuse, there were health inspectors in the clubs who also made house calls to check whether the member who had reported sick was actually unable to work due to illness or whether they just wanted to get support from the club.
To this day, some of the workers' sickness benefit associations have survived , for example in Abensberg , Wartenberg and in the Lower Franconian town of Aub .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Press report Mittelbayerische, 140 years AKUV Abensberg
- ↑ Press report Merkur, 125 years of AKUV Wartenberg
source
Festschrift of the AKUV Aub