The Danish General Workers' Union (, SID) was a

general union A general union is a trade union (called ''labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A gen ...

representing mostly unskilled and semi-skilled workers, in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

History

The union was founded in 1897 as the Danish Workers' Union (DA), becoming the Danish Workers' and Specialist Workers' Union (DASF) in 1959, then in 1974 adopted its final name. It organised workers who were considered unskilled, or semi-skilled, in industries where the most skilled workers were represented by other unions. This sometimes led to conflict, as it argued that the lowest-paid workers should receive the highest wage increases, to reduce pay differentials. Over the years, numerous smaller unions have merged in to the Metalworkers' union. These include: * 1934: Danish Land Workers' Union * 1971: Danish Glass Workers' Union * 1972: Danish Gardeners' Union * 1973: Danish Paviours' Union * 1978: Danish Drivers' Union * 1983: Paper Industry Workers' Union * 1988: Ceramic Confederation * 1994: Danish Union of Bricklayers * 1994: Danish Seamen's Union * 1998: Danish Clothing and Textile Workers' Union * 2000:

Graphics Federation The Graphics Federation (, GF) was a trade union representing workers in the graphics and printing industries in Denmark. For many years, the three main printing industry unions in Denmark, the Danish Bookbinders' and Stationers' Union, Danish L ...

(stationery section) * 2001: Danish Postal Union * 2001: Brewery Workers' Union The union affiliated to the

Danish Confederation of Trade Unions LO, The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions ( Danish: ''LO, Landsorganisationen i Danmark'' or simply ''LO'') was founded in 1898 and was an umbrella organisation (the largest of the three national trade union centers in Denmark) for 18 Danish ...

(LO) on formation, but left in 1925, rejoining in 1937. From its formation until 1990, the SID was the largest union in Denmark, but it was then surpassed by the Danish Union of Commercial and Clerical Employees. By 1997, it had 319,680 members, of whom about 37% worked in production, 31% in construction, 24% in transport, and the remainder in various other sectors. At the end of 2004, the union merged with the Danish Women Workers' Union, to form the

United Federation of Danish Workers The United Federation of Workers in Denmark (, 3F) is a Danish labor union. The union was formed in 2004, from the merger of the Danish Women Workers' Union and the Danish General Workers' Union. In 2006, the Restaurant Trade Union merged in ...

Presidents

:1897: Michael Christian Lyngsie :1931: Axel Olsen :1947: Christian Larsen :1957: Alfred Petersen :1964: Viggo Wivel :1968:

Anker Jørgensen Anker Henrik Jørgensen (13 July 1922 – 20 March 2016) was a Danish politician who served at various times as prime minister and foreign minister of Denmark. Between 1972 and 1982 he led five cabinets as prime minister. Jørgensen was presiden ...

:1972: Ejler Sønder :1979: Hardy Hansen :1995: Poul Erik Skov Christensen

References

{{Reflist General unions Trade unions in Denmark Trade unions established in 1897 Trade unions disestablished in 2004 1897 establishments in Denmark 2004 disestablishments in Denmark