The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-04-03
THE INNER POLITICS OF
GERMANY DURING WAR
{Continued from Page ~

soon proves that orderly conditions of !:
labor bring advantages rather than
disadvantages to Ssshandwork and IN !
dustry, even it profit must here and
there suffer-. Agreements by unifying:
to some extent the calculations of EN-.
ployers, prevents eV,fferhand compe-
:tition: On the one hand they check
wage reductions of:1ndfvidual employ
ers, on the other hand they limit
mutual competition among the work.
ers themselves. Stability and orders.
are given to economic life, and the
fixed conditions of labor changes the
workers former position of being
without rights. -*
The principle of tariff agreements
has been rapidly applied. In 1907
there were 1924 agreements existing in
Germany covering >111,050 businesses
with 974,564 workers. In 1913 there
were 1860 agreements embracing
193,760 businesses with 1885, asa
workers. Some agreements Of this
year have not yet been approved by
the committees (Building Trade); if
these are included, then there were
13,446, covering 218,033 businesses
with 2,072,456 workers. This is rapid
development, which has only its
counterpart in the rapidly won recog-
milton of the Scandinavian labor move
ment upon the labor market. TO-
| Tariff agreements were first effected
among individual employers, rather
than with an organization of employ
ers. This is in the nature of things.
Further it must be remembered that
trade union organization among the
employers only arose through pressure
exercised by the workers organ1za-
ton upon employers. This made pos
sible the concluding Of more extensive
agreements. The range of agree
ments for the year can be thus stated:
Number EN-
.~ .Ag of :of Baaig
Tariffs. ments nesses Workers
with firms 80. sss4 s sl,1s6 4 a2255,SS55aa
With Local 12sS sSS Sass$a
VIII WIZ national:: III II 's..s1? 77,,7sii
District agreements are. thus in
greatest use An agreement for dis
trict which is an economic or produc-
tive unit, is much to the point. Thus
an agreements for Berlin includes the
suburbs, so that the provisions are
valid for the whole area. This is also
true in other large. towns and in
dustrial areas. such as Westphalia
Rhineland, etc. The summit of this
development is the national agree.
ment, which demands strong organi'
cations on both sides. The IL such
agreements do not include those deal.
ing with general principles, as in thu
Fl Wood industry, the Building anc
Tailoring trades, which regulate: TIT
handling Of disputes and certain mair
questions in local agreements blu
leave local parties: to reach an under
stand as to. wages, hours Of labor
atc. @$ Ss IS" :. h
German tariff agreement statistic
also give information as to wages
hours Of labor, notices, Dor exchang
Eos, and courts Of arbitration. In 1913
only 81 per cent workers had NOR
lIfhan a 10 hour day In summer an
81 per cent in winter. During th
GUNNER Ia per cent had g. hou
day and 65.S per cent in winter. Dur
Ing the war, agreeme ntsS nave bee
carefully observed. hdtvidnal EN-
ployers have tried TO evade: them Il
l vain; the employers & rganization.
1 have demanded that their member
should carefully adhsre to them, an
I have nowhere ATTEMPTED to .subvel
the agreements. So