Shop steward (union)
The shop steward or shop steward (plural: shop stewards) is a volunteer for trade unions . In the German Empire and the Weimar Republic , chairman was the common name instead .
history
The male form has historically emerged from the then male-dominated metal and heavy industry : The trade unions responsible for these industries, to which the entrepreneurs denied access to the companies, elected or appointed reliable and trustworthy members from their ranks as internal representatives of their organization. You should establish the connection to the ordinary members through fee collection and the distribution of information material.
Since the works council is a union- independent representation of interests that is constituted according to the works constitution, a number of unions built up a system of shop stewards (so-called shop stewards' bodies) after the Second World War , who are particularly represented in the large plants in the steel, automotive and chemical industries. Their union functions are limited and primarily include organizing services: membership information and education, recruiting, and distribution of union information.
The institution of shop stewards exists as a special feature in the chemical industry . In the larger chemical plants they are elected by all employees, regardless of their trade union membership. They should establish the connection between the workforce and the works council on the one hand and between the workforce and management on the other hand in regular discussions. There are also shop stewards who are only elected by union members. In the past, the coexistence of these two types of shop stewards triggered violent conflicts in the responsible trade union, the IG Chemie, Papier, Keramik .
In the past, the relationships between the works council and shop stewards were partly determined by competitive situations. In some unions efforts were made to position shop stewards as a counterweight to the works councils. But due to its position and competencies secured by the Works Constitution Act, the works council has proven to be the stronger representative body. For large companies, cooperation between the two institutions is now the rule.
literature
- Klaus Koopmann: shop stewards. Workers' representation in the company . VSA, Hamburg 1981, ISBN 3-87975-202-8
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jürgen Kädtler / Hans-Hermann Hertle : “Social partnership and industrial policy. Structural change in the organizational area of the chemical-paper-ceramic union ”. Opladen 1997, chapter 4.