''Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz'' '(International All-Trade Union League', abbreviated MVS, , abbreviated IAV) was a

national trade union centre Organizers within trade unions have sought to increase the bargaining power of workers in regards to collective bargaining by acting in collaboration with other trade unions. Multi-union organizing can take place on an informal basis, or on a ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. MVS was founded in October 1922, after communists had been expelled from the Odborové sdružení českoslovanské (Czechoslav Trade Union Association, OSČ). MVS functioned as the trade union wing of the

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...

(KSČ), but parallel to MVS there were also the 'Red Trade Unions' (communist-dominated autonomous unions).Campbell, Joan.
European Labor Unions
''

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

: Greenwood Press, 1992. p. 82-83 MVS affiliated itself to the

Red International of Labour Unions The Red International of Labor Unions (, RILU), commonly known as the Profintern (), was an international body established by the Communist International (Comintern) with the aim of coordinating communist activities within trade unions. Formally ...

(Profintern). The communist trade unions (i.e. MVS and the Red Trade Unions) had a combined membership which fluctuated between 88 000-200 000. The communists were strongest amongst

blue-collar worker A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labour, manual labor or Tradesman, skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, Warehouse, warehousing, mining, ...

s, especially amongst

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

and in the agricultural sector. By late 1927 MVS had 179 993 members, 10.71% of the unionized labour force in the country. In total MVS had 16 affiliated unions with a combined number of 2406 local trade union cells. At the time, MVS was the third largest trade union centre in Czechoslovakia. But the relations between the MVS and KSČ were not uncomplicated. The MVS leadership had political goals of their own, somewhat different from the ambitions of the party. The MVS saw the OSČ as its main competitor, and actively encouraged workers to leave OSČ for MVS. This made the work of building communist, red, fractions inside OSČ unions more difficult for KSČ. The KSČ repeatedly demanded that MVS would cease its policy of draining the OSČ of leftwing elements, but the MVS did not yield. Partly, MVS could ignore the party demands due to disunity within the party on trade union matters.Evanson, Robert K.. Review o
''The Czech Red Unions, 1918-1929: A Study of Their Relations with the Communist Party and the Moscow Internationals'' by Kevin McDermott. Published in ''Slavic Review'', Vol. 49, No. 2 (Summer, 1990), pp. 301-302
/ref> In 1929 the relation between KSČ and MVS was broken, as the

Communist International The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internationa ...

shifted from its

united front A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political and/ ...

policy to the class against class policy. The Red Trade Unions became the main labour front of KSČ instead. In 1930, after a brief existence as an independent trade union centre, MVS merged back into OSČ.Rossos, Andrew. Review of
The Czech Red Unions, 1918-1929: A Study of their Relations with the Communist Party and the Moscow Internationals
' by Kevin McDermott, published in ''The

American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association, for which it is an official publication. It targets readers interested in all periods ...

'', Vol. 96, No. 4 (Oct., 1991), p. 1239

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mezinarodni vseodborovy svaz National trade union centers of Czechoslovakia 1922 establishments in Czechoslovakia 1930 disestablishments in Czechoslovakia Profintern Trade unions established in 1922 Trade unions disestablished in 1930