Fagoppositionens Sammenslutning

Last updated

Trade Union Opposition Federation
Fagoppositionens Sammenslutning
AbbreviationFS
PredecessorDanish Syndicalist Federation
Merged into Communist Party of Denmark
Formation1910;114 years ago (1910)
Dissolved1921;103 years ago (1921)
Type Trade union federation
Location
Membership (1918)
3,000
Leader Christian Christensen
PublicationSolidaritet

The Trade Union Opposition Federation (Danish : Fagoppositionens Sammenslutning; [lower-alpha 1] FS) was a Danish trade union federation. Established in 1910 by syndicalist opponents of the social-democratic dominance over trade unions, the FS pursued a strategy of dual unionism and worked within existing trade unions with the intention of radicalising them. The membership of the FS consisted largely of industrial workers in Copenhagen, where they carried out a series of strike actions, including wildcat strikes, to improve working conditions.

Contents

The FS experienced a surge in growth during World War I, as the social-democratic unions failed to keep up with the rising cost of living, while the syndicalists secured reductions in working hours and wage increases. By the end of the war, the FS had reached its peak with 3,000 members; its members participated in the storming of the Stock Exchange, secured the eight-hour working day and the weekend, and contributed to the reduction of unemployment. But around the time of the Easter Crisis of 1920, the syndicalist movement experienced a series of defeats and splits that led to its decline. Divides between the anarcho-syndicalists and communists resulted in the FS splitting, with the former establishing their own small federation, while the latter merged into the Communist Party of Denmark (DPK).

Establishment

The growth of syndicalism in Denmark was slower than in Norway and Sweden, as Danish trade union leaders had been able to establish collective bargaining rights much earlier than in the other Scandinavian countries. [1] But following a wave of lockouts, when the social-democratic leadership of Danish trade unions agreed to a compromise deal with business owners, disillusionment among the rank-and-file began to increase. [2] By the end of the 1900s, revolutionary syndicalist ideas had begun to gain traction within the Danish labour movement. [3]

In December 1908, the country's first syndicalist organisation, the Danish Syndicalist Federation (Danish : Syndikalistisk Forbund; SF), was established. Christian Christensen, the editor of the SF's magazine, soon became the leader of the Danish syndicalist movement. [4] In 1910, he established the Trade Union Opposition Federation (Danish : Fagoppositionens Sammenslutning; FS), which became the country's main syndicalist organisation during the 1910s. [5] In December 1911, the FS began publishing its weekly journal Solidaritet (Solidarity), [6] which was edited by Christensen. [7] The ideological platform of the FS was closely influenced by the industrial unionism of the British syndicalist Tom Mann, who was invited to speak before the FS in Denmark. [4]

Early activities

Although they had relatively few active members, the syndicalists were effective at securing wage increases and cultivating social unrest within the labour movement. The Danish syndicalists pursued a strategy of dual unionism, organising within existing unions in order to influence their direction towards syndicalist practices. [8] During its early years, the FS had only 30-40 members, largely drawn from Copenhagen's soil and concrete industries. [9] When 1,200 soil and concrete workers went on strike in the winter of 1911, their social-democratic union leaders resigned, leaving the inexperienced syndicalists in charge of directing the strike. The social-democrats attempted to delegitimise the strike by alleging that the workers had been manipulated by the syndicalists, a claim which Christensen rejected. [10]

In the spring of 1911, in response to a series of lockouts in Copenhagen, members of the FS called sympathy strikes in support of the affected workers. [9] Over the subsequent years, the FS made notable progress in increasing its trade union presence, gaining the adhesion of blacksmiths, mechanics, dockworkers and construction workers in the Danish capital. But the advancement of collective bargaining procedures by the social democrat-led unions, both among skilled and unskilled workers, caused difficulties for the growth of the FS. [11] Attempts to gain a foothold in the provincial towns were also largely unsuccessful, with the FS mainly gaining members in Copenhagen. [9]

The social democrats came to see syndicalists as the main threat to their political party's leadership over the trade unions. Social democrats infiltrated syndicalist meetings to disrupt their proceedings and report on their activities to the party leadership, with one interrupting a speech by Christensen on syndicalism in France to defend the social-democratic unions in Denmark and Germany. [11] In 1912, Carl Madsen, the general secretary of the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions, published a critique of the syndicalists' program of direct action, industrial unionism and decentralisation, claiming it would cause the "breaking up of the economic community". [12]

The FS was closely connected to the Central Organisation of Swedish Workers (SAC), a relatively powerful syndicalist union with 32,000 members in several industries. [13] At the First International Syndicalist Congress in 1913, the FS was represented by Albert Jensen , a delegate from the SAC. [14] In 1915, Albert Jensen moved to Denmark, where he became a leading writer for Solidaritet, penning a number of articles that were critical of the Norwegian Syndicalist Federation (NSF). [7]

War and growth

By the outbreak of World War I, the FS had grown ten-fold, counting between 300 and 400 members. [9] The material conditions brought on by the war caused a substantial growth in the syndicalist movement, as the Danish working classes were radicalised by the perceived failure of the social democrats. [15] The Social Democratic Party had aligned itself with the Danish government, which established state control over price and supply regulations. As the war continued, wages declined and prices rose dramatically, while social-democratic trade unions found themselves unable to negotiate with the constantly increasing cost of living. [16] During the course of the war, the FS grew ten times larger; by 1918, it counted 3,000 members and its newspaper circulated 18,000 copies. [15]

By 1918, the FS was actively campaigning against the war and the rising cost-of-living, and organising the growing ranks of unemployed workers. Throughout the last year of the war, mass public meetings and demonstrations were regularly held in Copenhagen, with one demonstration in February 1918 culminating with the storming of the Stock Exchange. Demonstrations often ended in clashes with the police; in the summer, four syndicalist leaders, including Christensen, were arrested following a protest. In November 1918, mounting protests against their imprisonment developed into a general strike. [17] The general strike ultimately failed, but gave way to broader industrial unrest the following year, as workers began a campaign of wildcat strikes for the eight-hour working day and the weekend. [18] In February 1919, lockouts shut down the capital's construction sites, while syndicalist-led strikes halted the functioning of the shipyards. [19] Within a few years, strike actions and lockouts had increased by six times, unemployment had fallen from 18.1% to 6.1%, and the eight-hour working day had been achieved, causing a real wage increase of 28%. [8]

Decline and dissolution

Political demonstration against the monarchy of Denmark, during the Easter Crisis Before Danish Royal Palace, 1920 LCCN2014710621.tif
Political demonstration against the monarchy of Denmark, during the Easter Crisis

In March 1920, King Christian X dismissed the social liberal government of Carl Theodor Zahle, causing the Easter Crisis. The Social Democrats issued the King with an ultimatum: reinstate the government or they would call a general strike. The syndicalists initially rejected participation in the social-democratic strike, but eventually decided to participate, on the condition that a new government release syndicalist political prisoners. However, the general strike was ultimately cancelled, as negotiations for a compromise were carried out. [20] Syndicalist dockworkers pressed ahead with their own strike actions but they were defeated after three months, contributing to the decline of the Danish syndicalist movement. [21]

By this time, the FS had begun closely cooperating with the nascent Communist Party of Denmark (DKP). [22] According to Christensen, while he had been imprisoned, anarchists had taken over the FS and had attempted to separate the syndicalist movement from existing trade unions. By working with the communists, he intended to "rescue" syndicalism from the anti-political influence of the anarchists. [21] This move caused many syndicalists to break away from the FS. [22] In September 1919, anarcho-syndicalists established a new trade union centre, the Danish Federalist Association (Danish : Dansk Féderalistisk Sammenslutning; [lower-alpha 2] DFS), [23] although it was unable to gain much support. [24]

Within a year, the Danish syndicalist movement had declined from a height of mass strike actions and trade union organising, to having effectively disappeared. [25] In the spring of 1921, the FS merged into the DKP. [26] The merger caused an internal fracture within the DKP, culminating in a split in January 1922. For the subsequent year and a half, there were two Danish Communist Parties, one which took a reformist line and the other a revolutionary syndicalist position. The parties re-merged in 1923, but internal conflicts persisted until the 1940s. [27]

Aftermath

In the wake of World War I, the Scandinavian syndicalist unions held a regional conference in Copenhagen, where they resolved to hold an international congress to establish a syndicalist international. But their plans were quickly halted, as the Dutch, Danish and Swedish governments all refused to allow such a congress to be held in their countries. [28] After months of failed attempts, the international conference was finally scheduled to be held in Berlin, in December 1920. [29] At the time, the FS had expressed their support for the Berlin international syndicalist conference, which discussed whether syndicalist unions would affiliate to the Bolshevik-aligned Red International of Labour Unions (RILU). [30]

After the founding congress of the RILU in July 1921, revolutionary syndicalist delegates, including those from Denmark, decided to instead establish their own trade union international. [31] In December 1922, a delegate for the Union for Syndicalist Propaganda (Danish : Syndikalistik Propagandaforbund; SPF) participated in the founding congress of the International Workers' Association (IWA). [32] The Danish organisation, which counted only 600 members, was the smallest section of the IWA. [33] Danish syndicalists were affiliated with the IWA throughout the 1920s and 1930s. [34]

Following the Nazi invasion and occupation of Denmark during World War II, Denmark's remaining syndicalist unions were banned by the Nazi authorities. [35]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also translated as the Trade Union Opposition Coalition or the Trade Union Opposition Association.
  2. ↑ Also translated as Danish Federalist Organisation

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syndicalism</span> Form of revolutionary organisation

Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the labour movement that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes, with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of production and the economy at large through social ownership. Developed in French labor unions during the late 19th century, syndicalist movements were most predominant amongst the socialist movement during the interwar period that preceded the outbreak of World War II.

Anarcho-syndicalism is an anarchist organisational model that centres trade unions as a vehicle for class conflict. Drawing from the theory of libertarian socialism and the practice of syndicalism, anarcho-syndicalism sees trade unions as both a means to achieve immediate improvements to working conditions and to build towards a social revolution in the form of a general strike, with the ultimate aim of abolishing the state and capitalism. Anarcho-syndicalists consider trade unions to be the prefiguration of a post-capitalist society and seek to use them in order to establish workers' control of production and distribution. An anti-political ideology, anarcho-syndicalism rejects political parties and participation in parliamentary politics, considering them to be a corrupting influence on the labour movement. In order to achieve their material and economic goals, anarcho-syndicalists instead practice direct action in the form of strike actions, boycotts and sabotage. Anarcho-syndicalists also attempt to build solidarity among the working class, in order to unite workers against the exploitation of labour and build workers' self-management.

The International Workers' Association – Asociación Internacional de los Trabajadores (IWA–AIT) is an international federation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions and initiatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of Denmark</span> Political party in Denmark

The Communist Party of Denmark is a communist party in Denmark. The DKP was founded on 9 November 1919 as the Left-Socialist Party of Denmark, through a merger of the Socialist Youth League and Socialist Labour Party of Denmark, both of which had broken away from the Social Democrats in March 1918. The party adopted its present name in November 1920, when it joined the Comintern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SAC Syndikalisterna</span> Swedish syndicalist trade union federation

SAC Syndikalisterna is a syndicalist trade union federation in Sweden. Unlike other Swedish unions, SAC organises people from all occupations and industries in one single federation, including the unemployed, students, and the retired. SAC also publishes the weekly newspaper Arbetaren, owns the publishing house Federativs and runs the unemployment fund Sveriges Arbetares Arbetslöshetskassa (SAAK).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unione Sindacale Italiana</span> Italian trade union

The Italian Syndicalist Union is an Italian anarcho-syndicalist trade union. Established in 1912 by a confederation of "houses of labour", the USI led a series of general strikes throughout its early years, culminating with the Red Week insurrection against the Italian entry into World War I. During the Biennio Rosso, the USI was at the forefront of the occupation of factories, which saw hundreds of workplaces throughout the country brought under the control of workers' councils. The USI also led the establishment of the International Workers' Association (IWA), which became the main international organisation of anarcho-syndicalist trade unions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Confederation of Labour (Portugal)</span> Portuguese trade union confederation

The General Confederation of Labour was a Portuguese trade union confederation. Established in 1919, as the successor to the National Workers' Union (UON), the CGT was the only national trade union centre in Portugal throughout the early 1920s. The organisation was led largely by anarcho-syndicalists, who declared the CGT to be independent of all political parties and proclaimed its goal to be the abolition of capitalism and the state. Opposed to Bolshevism, it refused to join the Red International of Labour Unions (RILU) and instead joined the International Workers' Association (IWA), which was aligned with anarcho-syndicalism. An internal schism between the syndicalist leadership and members of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) followed, as unions aligned with the latter broke off from the CGT. Following the establishment of a military dictatorship in Portugal, the CGT led a workers' uprising against it, but they were defeated, the organisation banned and many of their members exiled to Africa. After the establishment of the fascist Estado Novo regime, the CGT attempted to resist the creation of a corporatist economy and led a general strike against it, but this too was suppressed. The CGT's secretary general then attempted to assassinate the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, but was unsuccessful. The CGT was ultimately driven underground and eventually disappeared, as the fascist regime was consolidated in Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Association of German Trade Unions</span> Trade union federation in Imperial and early Weimar Germany

The Free Association of German Trade Unions was a trade union federation in Imperial and early Weimar Germany. It was founded in 1897 in Halle under the name Representatives' Centralization of Germany as the national umbrella organization of the localist current of the German labor movement. The localists rejected the centralization in the labor movement following the sunset of the Anti-Socialist Laws in 1890 and preferred grassroots democratic structures. The lack of a strike code soon led to conflict within the organization. Various ways of providing financial support for strikes were tested before a system of voluntary solidarity was agreed upon in 1903, the same year that the name Free Association of German Trade Unions was adopted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norsk Syndikalistisk Forbund</span> Norwegian anarcho-syndicalist group

The Norwegian Syndicalist Federation is an anarcho-syndicalist group in Norway. Established in the 1910s, the NSF worked within existing Norwegian trade unions in order to radicalise them towards revolutionary syndicalism. It was a founding member of the International Workers' Association (IWA) and historically maintained close connections with the Central Organisation of Swedish Workers (SAC). The NSF was politically repressed during the German occupation of Norway and, in the wake of World War II, experienced a dramatic decline. In the 1970s, the organisation was reconstituted as a propaganda group and continued its activities into the 21st century, with a much smaller membership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Labor Secretariat</span>

The National Labor Secretariat was a trade union federation in the Netherlands from 1893 to 1940.

The Revolutionary Syndicalist Committees were a trade-unionist organization inside the General Confederation of Labour. The group was founded in opposition to reformist French CGT leadership in the circle around Pierre Monatte and the Vie ouvrére newspaper. They created a coordinating entity after the September 1919 CGT congress and worked to develop inroads with specific member unions, with railroad workers in particular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First International Syndicalist Congress</span>

The First International Syndicalist Congress was a meeting of European and Latin American syndicalist organizations at Holborn Town Hall in London from September 27 to October 2, 1913. Upon a proposal by the Dutch National Labor Secretariat (NAS) and the British Industrial Syndicalist Education League (ISEL), most European syndicalist groups, both trade unions and advocacy groups, agreed to congregate at a meeting in London. The only exception was the biggest syndicalist organization worldwide, the French General Confederation of Labor (CGT). Nevertheless, the congress was held with organizations from twelve countries participating. It was marked by heated debate and constant disagreements over both tactics and principles. Yet, it succeeded in creating the International Syndicalist Information Bureau as a vehicle of exchange and solidarity between the various organizations and the Bulletin international du mouvement syndicaliste as a means of communication. It would be viewed as a success by almost all who participated.

A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions of political, social, and labour organizations and may also include rallies, marches, boycotts, civil disobedience, non-payment of taxes, and other forms of direct or indirect action. Additionally, general strikes might exclude care workers, such as teachers, doctors, and nurses.

Anarchism in Portugal first appeared in the form of organized groups in the mid-1880s. It was present from the first steps of the workers' movement, revolutionary unionism and anarcho-syndicalism had a lasting influence on the General Confederation of Labour, founded in 1919.

Anarchism in Denmark emerged in the late 19th century from the revolutionary factions of early social democratic spheres, crystalizing into a widespread anarcho-syndicalist movement that reached its height during the late 1910s. After the disintegration of organized syndicalism, anarchists in post-war Denmark began to organize the squatters' movement, which led to the creation of Freetown Christiania.

The history of anarcho-syndicalism dates back to the anti-authoritarian faction of the International Workingmen's Association. Revolutionary syndicalism as a tendency was constituted in the 1890s by the French General Confederation of Labour (CGT), which became a model union for other syndicalist organisations to base themselves on. Anarchists were involved in the syndicalist movement from the outset and a specific anarchist tendency developed within the movement over the subsequent decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syndicalist Defense Committee (1915)</span> French anti-war trade union centre

The Syndicalist Defense Committee was a French anti-militarist trade union centre of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). Established in 1915 to provide a syndicalist opposition to World War I, the CDS aimed to end French participation in the war through a general strike. The CDS was largely associated with construction workers' and metalworkers' unions in the Loire department, where anti-war trade unionists frequently organised pacifist strikes in order to improve working conditions and pressure the French government to end the war. These pacifist strikes culminated in May 1918, when the CDS led a general strike of hundreds of thousands of metal workers. The strike was suppressed, their leaders arrested and many striking workers were deployed to the front lines. Members of the CDS led the establishment of the first communist party in France, while the metalworkers' unions went on to form the United General Confederation of Labour (CGTU), a revolutionary splinter of the reformist-led CGT.

The Syndicalist Defense Committee, also known as the Committee for the Defense of Revolutionary Syndicalism, was a French anarcho-syndicalist trade union centre of the United General Confederation of Labour (CGTU). The CDS was formed to oppose the influence of the French Communist Party (PCF), which quickly took over the leadership of the CGTU and brought it into the Red International of Labour Unions (RILU). Despite its conflict with the CGTU leadership, the CDS remained within the organisation, as it sought to preserve working class unity. While still within the CGTU, the CDS participated in the founding of the International Workers' Association (IWA), in which it called for a conciliatory stance towards the RILU. After the murder of two libertarian activists by a PCF member, the CDS broke away from the CGTU. In 1924, the CDS formed the short-lived Federative Union of Autonomous Trade Unions; and in 1926, they established the Revolutionary Syndicalist General Confederation of Labour (CGT-SR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Workers' Union (Portugal)</span> Portuguese trade union centre

The National Workers' Union was a Portuguese trade union federation. Established by a coalition of syndicalists and socialists, in the wake of a strike wave that followed the 1910 revolution, the UON was the first trade union centre to unite workers across different industries from throughout the country. The UON launched a series of strike actions following the Portuguese entry into World War I, which radicalised the union towards anarcho-syndicalism. By 1917, the UON was calling for revolution, backed by its powerful construction workers' union. In November 1918, the UON carried out a national general strike, but it was defeated by the state. The following year, the UON was reorganised into the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), which took over its structures and activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Industrial Workers of the World (Chile)</span> Chilean trade union center

The Industrial Workers of the World (Chile) (IWW-C), also known as the Chilean IWW or Chilean Wobblies, was a Chilean trade union center. Established in the late 1910s by dockworkers in Valparaíso, the tenets of industrial unionism were quickly adopted by maritime workers throughout the country. The IWW organised strike actions to demand of the eight-hour day and the implementation of workplace safety standards. Before long, its membership spread to industrial workers in Santiago, gaining particular strength among construction workers.

References

  1. ↑ Knudsen 2023, p. 74.
  2. ↑ Damier 2009, p. 20.
  3. ↑ Damier 2009, p. 20; Greasley 2006, pp. 131–132; Knudsen 2023, pp. 74–75; Persson 1990, pp. 81–84.
  4. 1 2 Knudsen 2023, pp. 74–75.
  5. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 74–75; Persson 1990, p. 95.
  6. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 74–75; Persson 1990, p. 95; Thorpe 1989, p. 47.
  7. 1 2 Persson 1990, p. 95.
  8. 1 2 Greasley 2006, p. 132.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Knudsen 2023, p. 75.
  10. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 75–76.
  11. 1 2 Knudsen 2023, p. 76.
  12. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 76–77.
  13. ↑ Damier 2009, pp. 56–57.
  14. ↑ Damier 2009, p. 39; Thorpe 1989, pp. 69–70.
  15. 1 2 Knudsen 2023, p. 77.
  16. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 77–78.
  17. ↑ Knudsen 2023, p. 78.
  18. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 78–79.
  19. ↑ Knudsen 2023, p. 79.
  20. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 79–80.
  21. 1 2 Knudsen 2023, p. 80.
  22. 1 2 Knudsen 2023, p. 80; Persson 1990, p. 96.
  23. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 79–80; Persson 1990, p. 96.
  24. ↑ Persson 1990, p. 96.
  25. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 80–81.
  26. ↑ Knudsen 2023, pp. 80–81; Thing 1998, p. 1.
  27. ↑ Thing 1998, p. 4.
  28. ↑ Thorpe 1989, p. 91.
  29. ↑ Thorpe 1989, p. 150.
  30. ↑ Damier 2009, pp. 71–72; Thorpe 1989, pp. 150–152.
  31. ↑ Damier 2009, pp. 73–74; Thorpe 1989, pp. 250–251.
  32. ↑ Damier 2009, p. 82; Thorpe 1989, pp. 244–245.
  33. ↑ Thorpe 1989, p. 313n13.
  34. ↑ Damier 2009, pp. 84–85.
  35. ↑ Damier 2009, p. 186.

Bibliography

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.