Direction union

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A directional union is a union that is committed to an ideological or political direction. A distinction is essentially made between socialist , Christian , communist and liberal trade unions. In Germany these were or are z. B. the free trade unions (socialist), the Christian trade unions , the revolutionary trade union opposition (communist) and the Hirsch-Duncker trade unions (liberal).

In continental Europe , directional unions, founded from the mid-19th century to the present day, have remained the dominant trade union organization. A certain exception was the attempt at a unified trade union after the Second World War in Germany ( DGB ) and Austria ( ÖGB ). Since the ÖGB has ideological fractions, however, it can be considered a mixed form.

Directional unions believe that union work cannot be value-neutral, but is deeply value-related. In this context, they refer to the broad spectrum of trade union work and influence ( family policy , fair wages, social justice , participation by the individual or by means of collective models, etc.). There are fundamentally different approaches to solutions depending on the worldview.

In Germany, because of the claim to sole representation practiced by the unified trade unions and the associated rejection of trade union pluralism, the various camps face each other almost irreconcilably. In other countries (e.g. Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands), despite differing views on individual issues, the various unions also come together for joint actions.

literature

  • Rolf Thieringer: The relationship of the German trade unions to the state and political parties in the Weimar Republic 1918 to 1933. The ideological differences and tactical similarities of the directional trade unions . Dissertation, University of Tübingen 1954.
  • Heinz Langerham: Directional Union and Union Autonomy, 1890-1914 . In: International Review of Social History 2 (1957), pp. 22–31 and 187–208. ISSN  0020-8590 .
  • Union of Railway Workers in Germany (Hg): unified trade unions or directional trade unions , 1961.
  • Hans Saalfeld: Bundled strength. The interrelationship between the unified trade union and party politics after 1945 . In: IG Metall administration office Hamburg (ed.): "Don't wait for others, now lend a hand". Texts, documents and photos from IG Metall in Hamburg from 1945 to 1995 . VSA-Verlag, Hamburg 1995. ISBN 3-87975-658-9 . Pp. 10-33.

Footnotes

  1. Wolfgang Schroeder: Catholicism and unified trade union. The dispute over the DGB and the decline of social Catholicism in the Federal Republic until 1960 . Dietz, Bonn 1992. ISBN 3-8012-4037-1 . Pp. 17-19.
  2. Oswald von Nell-Breuning : Unified trade unions or directional trade unions ? In: Orientation 12 (1948), Issue 20, pp. 191–193.