Between 1920 and 1936 miners in Czechoslovakia elected representative councils. Several different trade unions, representing various different political tendencies, contested the elections.
A law for work councils in the mining industry was passed in June, 1920, being the first such law in Czechoslovakia. Councils were elected with tenures of two years. Elections to local mining councils were held at all mines with 20 employees or more. The condition to stand as a candidate was to be a Czechoslovak citizen aged 24 years or older, who had worked at the mine for minimum six months over the past 3 years. In order to vote in the election one had to be a Czechoslovak citizen aged 18 years or older, and having worked at least three months in the past 2 years. Each council had two advisers representing the management, one technical and one commercial.
Results
Summary of 1928 election results
Per Dubský (1984), the elections held in 1928 yielded the following result across the country;
| Union | Political affiliation |
North Bohemia |
Falkenov | Plzeň | Kladno | Žacléř | Ostrava | Rosice- Oslavany |
Slovakia | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') |
Communist | 115 | 10 | 18 | 66 | 3 | 125 | 21 | 34 | 392 |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') |
Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 56 | 34 | 27 | 1 | 130 | 42 | 79 | 369 | |
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') |
German Social Democrat (DSAP) | 178 | 95 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 308 | |||
| Národní sdružení odborových organizací ('National Association of Trade Union Organizations') |
Czechoslovak National Democracy | 12 | 12 | 1 | 50 | 75 | ||||
| Jednota horníků a hutníků ('Unity of Miners and Ironworkers') |
Czechoslovak National Socialist | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 50 | |||
| Sdružení československých horníků ('Association of Czechoslovak Miners') |
Syndicalist | 23 | 1 | 2 | 26 | |||||
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') |
German National Socialist | 22 | 3 | 25 | ||||||
| Svaz křesťanských horníků a hutníků ('Union of Christian Miners and Ironworkers') |
Czechoslovak People's Party | 2 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 23 | |||
| Others | 14 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 37 | |||||
| Total | 451 | 126 | 72 | 109 | 20 | 341 | 65 | 121 | 1,305 |
Results in 3 Bohemian districts 1924-1936
Per Oellermann (2013), having slightly different estimates than Dubský, the work council elections in Northern Bohemia, Falkenov and Trautenau had the following composition;
Northern Bohemia
| Union | Political affiliation |
1924 | 1926 | 1929 | 1931 | 1933 | 1936 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') |
German Social Democrat | 204 | 188 | 180 | 162 | 123 | 132 |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') |
Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 60 | 58 | 54 | 59 | 55 | 62 |
| Sdružení československých horníků ('Association of Czechoslovak Miners') |
Syndicalist | 50 | 35 | 12 | |||
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') |
Communist | 86 | 97 | 113 | |||
| Průmyslový svaz horníků ('Industrial Miners' Union') |
Communist | 86 | 78 | 46 | |||
| Jednota horníků a hutníků ('Unity of Miners and Ironworkers') |
Czechoslovak National Socialist | 30 | 30 | 31 | 44 | 39 | 35 |
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') |
German National Socialist | 25 | 24 | 21 | 38 | 67 |
Falkenov
| Union | Political affiliation |
1924 | 1926 | 1929 | 1931 | 1933 | 1936 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') |
German Social Democrat | 102 | 10 | 95 | 89 | 87 | 66 |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') |
Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') |
Communist | 3 | 6 | 10 | |||
| Průmyslový svaz horníků ('Industrial Miners' Union') |
Communist | 5 | 8 | 6 | |||
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') |
German National Socialist | 3 | 6 | 7 | |||
| Deutschen Arbeitergewerkschaft ('German Workers Trade Union') |
Sudeten German Party | 35 | |||||
| Fachverbandes der Berg- und Hüttenarbeiter u.v.B. „Solidarität“ ('Trade Union of Miners, Ironworkers and related professions "Solidarity"') |
25 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 12 |
Tratenau
| Union | Political affiliation |
1924 | 1926 | 1929 | 1931 | 1933 | 1936 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') |
German Social Democrat | 17 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') |
Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sdružení československých horníků ('Association of Czechoslovak Miners') |
Syndicalist | 4 | |||||
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') |
Communist | 8 | 4 | 3 | |||
| Průmyslový svaz horníků ('Industrial Miners' Union') |
Communist | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||
| Jednota horníků a hutníků ('Unity of Miners and Ironworkers') |
Czechoslovak National Socialist | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') |
German National Socialist | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | |
| Národní sdružení ('National Association') |
Czechoslovak National Democracy | 1 | 4 | 4 | |||
| Verband der christlichen Berg. und Hüttenarbeiter ('Union of Christian Miners and Ironworkers') |
German Christian-Social | 2 | 5 | ||||
| Independents | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
References
- ^ Vladimír Dubský (1984). Závodní výbory a rady v předmnichovském Československu. Práce. p. 271, 274.
- Boris Stern (1925). Works Council Movement in Germany. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 95.
- Sociálni ústav C ̆eskoslovenské Republiky, Prague (1924). Social Policy in the Czechoslovak Republic. "Orbis" publishing Company. p. 80.
- ^ The Czechoslovak Review. Bohemian Review Company. 1924. p. 153.
- Joan Campbell; John P. Windmuller (1992). European Labor Unions. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-313-26371-2.
- Masaryk University. Sdružení československých horníků - představitelé revolučního syndikalismu
- Masarykova akademie präce, Prague. Üstav pro technichë hospodärs̈tvï prümyslovë (1925). Knihovna. p. 160.
- Ročenka Československé republiky. 1926. p. 194.
- Miloš Trapl (1995). Political Catholicism and the Czechoslovak People's Party in Czechoslovakia, 1918-1938. Social Science Monographs. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-88033-306-1.
- ^ Oellerman, Thomas. Mehr als nur eine Partei. Die deutsche Sozialdemokratie in der Tschechoslowakischen Republik 1918-1938
- Peter Glotz (1990). München 1938: das Ende des alten Europa. R. Hobbing. p. 189. ISBN 978-3-920460-55-0.