The Chemical Workers' Union was a trade union in the Czechoslovakia. The union was led by Josef Hais. The union published ''Dělnik'' ('Worker'). Dissolved in 1922, the Chemical Workers' Union had a membership of 76,978, as of 1921. The Chemical Workers' Union was affiliated with the ''

Odborové sdružení československé Czechoslovak Trade Union Association ( cs, Odborové sdružení československé), abbreviated to OSČ, was a national trade union center, founded in 1897 in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the break-up of the empire, the OSČ emer ...

'' (OSČ). However, within OSČ the Chemical Workers' Union represented a

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

position. Hais upled the line of 'non-compromising socialism'. Overall, the chemical industry workers were amongst the lowest paid workers in Czechoslovakia at the time, a fact that contributed to the radicalization of their union. The OSČ rightwing branded Hais as a 'communist', and in February 1921 a rightist splinter union was formed under the leadership of Karel Piták. In June 1922,

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

trade unionists were expelled from the Metalworkers' Union (a union which was firmly controlled by Social Democrats). They then formed the 'Opposition Committee of Metalworkers'. The Opposition Committee was provisionally accepted into the Chemical Workers' Union. On 25 June 1922, a conference of revolutionary trade unionists was held in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

. The conference staked out plans for a new trade union centre. At the conference an 'Agitation Committee for the

Red International of Labour Unions The Red International of Labor Unions (russian: Красный интернационал профсоюзов, translit=Krasnyi internatsional profsoyuzov, RILU), commonly known as the Profintern, was an international body established by the Comm ...

' was formed, with Josef Hais as its secretary. In July 1922 the board of the Chemical Workers' Union decided that the union would join the new trade union centre once it was formed. On 13 July 1922, the Chemical Workers' Union was expelled from OSČ. When the new, pro-communist trade union centre ''

Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz ''Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz'' '(International All-Trade Union League', abbreviated MVS, german: Internationalen Allgewerkschaftlichen Verband, abbreviated IAV) was a national trade union centre in Czechoslovakia. MVS was founded in Octobe ...

'' (MVS) was formed in October 1922, the Chemical Workers' Union merged into it as its Chemical workers' section. At the time of the merger, 45,068 workers of the Chemical Workers' Union joined MVS. McDermott, p. 78, 82.

References

Cited texts

* {{Refend Trade unions in Czechoslovakia Chemical industry trade unions 1922 establishments in Czechoslovakia Trade unions established in 1922 Industrial unions