Christian metalworkers association
The Christian Metalworkers' Association ( CMV ) was founded in 1899 and existed until the beginning of National Socialist rule. The organization had its focus in the industrialized Catholic areas of the Rhine Province and the Province of Westphalia .
Founding time
After the formation of the first Christian trade unions in 1894, trade union organizations first emerged in the metal industry on a regional or local basis. These included the union of Christian miners, iron and metal workers in the Bonn District Mining Authority , the Sauerland union of metal workers, the lead, zinc and chemical factory workers 'association in Stolberg , the Christian clock industry workers' association in the Black Forest and the association of Christian metal workers in Schwäbisch Gmünd .
In Duisburg , Franz Wieber had founded a specialist molding association on a Christian-social basis as early as 1888 . He soon began to reach out to other places in the Rhenish-Westphalian industrial area. In 1893, the association joined the (free trade union ) Central Association of German Former and Foundry Workers, but left again in 1895 due to differences.
On October 15, 1899, the Christian Metalworkers Association was founded with supra-regional claims. The first paying offices were established in Duisburg, Düsseldorf , Cologne , Düren , Mönchengladbach , Laar , Stockum , Oberhausen , Allendorf , Mülheim an der Ruhr , Hörde and Borbeck .
As a Christian-national organization, the association rejected the class struggle. Even if the new association recognized strikes and other fighting measures as a last resort, it did not see itself as a mere trade union organization, but as a "professional organization." This was a cause of conflicts with other Christian unions.
Conflict within Christian trade unions
Johannes Giesberts , himself a co-founder of the CMV, has been advocating trade union cooperation since 1899, regardless of denominational, ideological or political attitudes. Most of the Christian unions agreed to this at the 2nd trade union congress in Frankfurt am Main in 1900. Only the CMV insisted on an emphatically Christian standpoint. He was supported by large parts of the Catholic clergy. The dispute simmered in the Christian trade union camp, especially between the CMV and the Christian miners' association. The conflicts in the Christian trade union camp were exacerbated by the so-called customs dispute. The CMV pleaded for the right to deal with general political issues, while the General Association of Christian Trade Unions rejected this. The CMV was only indirectly involved in the trade union dispute over the question of denomination or interdenominationality of Christian trade unions. Behind the conflict was a fundamentally different trade union view of Wieber and August Brust , the chairmen of the Christian miners' association. While Wieber emphasized the independence of the individual associations, the overall association was more important for Brust.
The various conflicts led to the exclusion of the CMV from the general association in 1902. In its place, the union of miners, smelter and metal workers in the Siegerland district, the Sauerland union and the association of Christian metal workers in Schwäbisch Gmünd should form a central trade association of Christian metal and ironworkers in Germany. The CMV defended its position. Unemployment insurance was also set up against competition in the own camp and female members were accepted. The new association was unsuccessful and a strike in Iserlohn ended as a clear defeat. The general association then sought a settlement with the CMV. An agreement and a merger was reached in 1903.
The CMV now became the central metalworkers' organization of the Christian trade unions. Centralization was complete by 1904. After agreement, the number of members increased significantly and from 1905 the continued existence of the organization was largely assured.
organization structure
Organizationally, the CMV was based on the free trade unions. The most important position was taken by the board of directors, with a general assembly meeting every two years, with a trade union committee advising the board in between. Local administrative offices with an elected board formed the basis. Important decisions about strikes, for example, had to be coordinated with the central board. A meeting should be held at the administrative offices at least once a month to maintain contact with the members. Later, with increasing number of members, this was no longer practical and were stewards appointed. In the course of time, most of the administrative offices were given full-time staff. In 1921 there were 181 paying agents. With the growing number of members, district divisions between the local level and the central office became necessary. Their formation was largely completed by 1907.
Activity and development
Before the First World War, cooperation with other metalworkers' unions only occurred in a few cases. It was only during the war that the Rhineland and Westphalia came together . The resulting working group dissolved again at the end of the war.
In addition to improving wages, better regulation of working hours in uninterrupted heavy industry was one of the central demands of the pre-war period. The three-shift system was required as early as 1899. At the second Christian workers' congress in Berlin, Wieber presented extensive material on worker protection in heavy industry. However, notable improvements only came in the post-war period.
The anti-union stance of companies was particularly problematic in heavy industry. This limited the effectiveness of the CMV. On several occasions there were major disputes over the right of association . In addition, the wage level, working hours and other questions usually played a role. Major labor disputes over the right of association took place in 1905 at Burbacher Hütte in Saarland . 3200 workers went on strike. In 1910 there were lockouts in Hagen and the Schwelm area and in 1912/13 there was a strike in Menden . 3,000 men went on strike there alone.
During the First World War, the number of members fell sharply until 1916 due to conscription, but also losses of confidence and other reasons. As a result of the auxiliary service law and other reasons, the number of members increased sharply again and in 1917 the association exceeded the numbers of 1914.
After the war, the number of wage disputes increased sharply, but most of them ended without a work stoppage. The organization was involved in the Ruhreisenstreit in 1928 .
In the first few years after the November Revolution, the overall positive trend continued. The highest level was reached in 1921, after which the number of members fell significantly and the years between 1923 and 1926 were particularly difficult. After that, the number of members increased again until the beginning of the global economic crisis .
The history of the CMV ended with the incorporation of the Christian trade unions into the German Labor Front . The majority of the former members joined IG Metall after 1945 . A minority later came together in the Christian Metal Union .
| year | Members 1899–1929 | ||||
| 1899 | 930 | ||||
| 1902 | 4,790 | ||||
| 1905 | 17,563 | ||||
| 1910 | 33,971 | ||||
| 1914 | 25,222 | ||||
| 1917 | 62,604 | ||||
| 1919 | 210.005 | ||||
| 1923 | 218.281 | ||||
| 1929 | 125,000 | ||||
literature
- Max Rouille: The development of the Christian metal workers 'association taking into account the German metal workers' association and the trade union of mechanical engineering and metal workers (HD). Diss. Göttingen, undated
- Rudolf Tippelmann: The Christian Metalworkers Association of Germany. Diss. Münster, 1925.
- Karl Dudey: Christian metal workers' association in Germany In: Ludwig Heyde (Hrsg.): International concise dictionary of trade unions. Vol. 1 Berlin, 1931 pp. 304-305. Electronic ed .: Bonn: FES Library, 2009