Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - V. Social Movements - 1. Labour Questions and Social politics - Organization of Workmen and Employers. By O. Järte and B. Nyström
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v. social movements.
After a rapid increase of the number of members during the prosperous times
from 1905 to 1907 — during which latter year close on half of the total number
of wage earners in industry, trade, and transport in Sweden appear to have
been organized — the number dropped by about 50 % during the ensuing years
of depression, mainly on account of the big ruinous conflicts with the organized
employers during the years from 1908 to 1909. The masses of newly acquired,
untrained members fell away, but a picked nucleus of experienced men remained.
In recent times the number of members has once more begun to increase. At
the end of 1913 Swedish trade unions consisted of 38 federations with 1 976
branches, comprising a total of 135 977 members, of which 6 858 were women.
Of this total there belonged to the "Landsorganisation" 26 federations with
1 433 branches comprising 97 252 members, that is 71-& % of the total organized
workers. The trade unions of Sweden are not exclusively limited to skilled
workers, but also consist of unskilled and casual labourers in various trades.
The principal federations outside the "Landsorganisationen" are those of the
Railway Servants and of the Typographers.
People’s Palace, Stockholm.
The constitution of the Swedish trade unionism is extremely democratic, but
is based to a very great extent on the representative system. The governing
body of the federation, is the Congress (kongressen), which, consisting of elected
representatives from the branches, and as a rule assembling every three years,
determines the statutes and policy of the federation, and nominates the
Federation Committee (förbundsstyrelse) and the officials (usually, a secretary, and
a càshier; in large federations several in addition) that are entrusted with the
management of the affairs of the federation. The branches are otherwise
self-governing, and elect their committees at a general meeting. A wage movement
or a strike, however, may not, as a general rule, be set on foot without consulting
the federation committee and obtaining its sanction, besides obtaining the vote
of a qualified majority of the members of the branch, ascertained by secret
voting. The committee of the "Landsorganisation", the Landssekretariatet,
nominated by the Congress of the "Landsorganisation", consists of seven members,
out of which three are salaried functionaries; alongside of it is the
Bepresentants-skapet, composed of representatives from the committees of the federations that
have joined the organization. Since 1900 the Chairman of the "Landsorganisation"
has been Herman Lindqvist.
The regular incomes of the trade unions consists of contributions and entrance
fees paid by the members. The amount of the annual contributions for working
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