(Czech; ; ) (ROH) was a communist

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 ...

from 1946 to 1990. In

Communist Czechoslovakia The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, or simply Czech ...

(1948–1989) it was a monopolistic trade union, wherein the membership was often mandatory for employees of state industries.

Foundation

ROH was founded in the

Czech Lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands (, ) is a historical-geographical term which denotes the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia out of which Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic and Slovakia, were formed. ...

in 1946, emerging out of the factory councils and workers militias that evolve out of the wake of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After World War II, communists became dominant in the trade union movement once the war ended. They were however not the sole political force in the initial phase of ROH, the Trade Union Department of the Communist Party was wary of '

syndicalist Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gainin ...

' tendencies in the factory councils.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. 71-72, 84, 553Kaplan, Karel.
The Short March: The Communist Takeover in Czechoslovakia, 1945-1948
'.

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

: C. Hurst, 1987. p. 53 In April 1946 the Slovak trade unions merged into ROH. The Slovak unions merged with their Czech counterparts, adopting the slogan "One factory - one trade union organization". However, during 1947 ROH membership in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

dropped sharply for political and economical reason, ROH lost a third of its members in the area.

Antonín Zápotocký Antonín Zápotocký (; 19 December 1884 – 13 November 1957) was a Czech communist politician and statesman in Czechoslovakia. He served as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1953, and then as President of Czechoslovakia from 1 ...

, a communist pre-war labour leader who had been imprisoned for six years during the war, became the chairman of ROH in June 1947. Evžen Erban, a left-wing Social Democrat, became the general secretary of ROH. In the leading body of ROH, the Central Trade Union Council (ÚRO), there were 94 communists, 18 Social Democrats, 6 National Socialists and 2 from the People's Party.

Prague Spring

During the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

of 1968, ROH became somewhat more independent. However, developments in the trade union field were somewhat slower than in other organizations. In March 1968 hardline leaders were removed from their positions in ÚRO. In September 1968 ÚRO reaffirmed that the process of internal reforms and adoptions of new statues in the affiliated unions would continue. Between November 1968 and January 1969 some unions (like the Metal Workers' Union) threatened to launch strikes if the pro-reform leaders wouldn't be reinstated to their positions in the Communist Party.Ekiert, Grzegorz.
The State against Society: Political Crises and Their Aftermath in East Central Europe
'. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996. p. 188 Ahead of the 7th ROH congress, held March 4–5 March 1969, 75% of the delegates were elected from the affiliated unions through secret ballots (for the first time). The congress did steer a moderate course, as the trade union movement was pressured from both pro-reform sectors as well as Communist Party hardliners. In the ROH leadership elected at the congress, different political strands were represented. Karel Poláček was the ROH chairman at the time. Gradually, however, ROH returned to following the line of the Communist Party.

Organization

ROH was organized along

democratic centralist Democratic centralism is the organisational principle of most communist parties, in which decisions are made by a process of vigorous and open debate amongst party membership, and are subsequently binding upon all members of the party. The con ...

lines. The national leadership was the Central Trade Union Council (ÚRO). The organ leading ROH between ÚRO meetings was its 14-member presidium. In the districts, there were the District Trade Union Council (KOR). The KORs had around 20 members each, elected at District Trade Union Conferences. ROH published the newspaper ''Práce''. As of August 1958 ROH had over 3 800 000 members.

International cooperation

ROH was a member of the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...

. The WFTU had its headquarters in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Later period

In 1989, autonomous trade unions and strike committees surged in Czechoslovakia, which called for the dissolution of ROH. A parallel Trade Union Coordination Centre was formed. ROH tried to manage the situation by declaring its independence from the Communist Party. The Slovak branch of ROH decided to subordinate itself to the Coordination Centre. The Czech ROH organization hesitated somewhat, but at a trade union conference held 2–3 March 1990 ROH dissolved itself. In its place a new trade union federation, ČSKOS was founded.Campbell, Joan.
European Labor Unions
''

: Greenwood Press, 1992. p. 75

References