Alexander Schlicke (26 March 1863 – 6 February 1940) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

politician and trade unionist. Born in Berlin, Schlicke trained in precision mechanics at a craft school, and then found work in the industry, moving across the country until he ended up in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. There, he joined the local union of metalworkers, becoming a

shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a trades/labour union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the un ...

in 1890. That year, he also joined the Social Democratic Association of Frankfurt, and in 1891, he became its chair. In 1891, the local metal workers' union became part of the new

German Metal Workers' Union The German Metal Workers' Union (, abbreviated DMV) was a German industrial union for metalworkers formed in 1891 and dissolved after the Nazis' accession to power in 1933. History German metalworkers started to organize in labor unions in 18 ...

(DMV), the largest union in the country, and Schlicke was appointed as its full-time general secretary. In 1895, he was elected as the union's president, and in both roles, he worked to centralise the union, expand its membership, and reach collective agreements with employers. In 1905, he was additionally elected as general secretary of the

International Metalworkers' Federation The International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) was a global union federation of metalworkers' trade unions, founded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1893. the IMF had more than 200 member organisations in 100 countries, representing a combine ...

, which moved its office to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, where he was working. Schlicke was criticised for opposing industrial action during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and stood down as president of the DMV in 1919. He won election to the

Weimar National Assembly The Weimar National Assembly (German: ), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly (), was the popularly elected constitutional convention and de facto parliament of Germany from 6 February 1919 to 21 May 1920. As part of it ...

, representing the German Social Democratic Party, and then in 1920 was elected to the Reichstag. He was Minister of Labour in the Württemberg State Government from January to June 1919, and then in the national government from June 1919 until June 1920, focusing on re-integrating soldiers into the workforce. During this period, the Works Council Act was passed, leading to left-wing demonstrations which were forcibly suppressed. Early in 1921, Schlicke was appointed as the full-time director of the Berlin office of the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

. He retired in 1925, although he served in Parliament until 1930. He died in Stuttgart in 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlicke, Alexander 1863 births 1940 deaths German trade unionists Ministers of labor of Germany Members of the Weimar National Assembly Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Politicians from Berlin