The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-09-13
What About European Labor Unions?
Varied theological Unions
Exist On the Continent
by Erik v. KuehneIf-L eddihn

Americans sometimes must wonder what sort of
labor organizations today exist in the free part of Europe.
There are, needless to say, huge "labor unions" east of
the Iron Curtain and in the first years and months OF
the great honeymoon, which the Soviet Union and the
Free West enjoyed Immediately after World War II,
the so-caled "Profsoyuzi' of the USSR were admitted to
the World Labor Federation.
These Communist unions are the very caricature
of the labor unions in the Free World; they are nothing
but organizations in the service of the state, and their
only purpose is to transmit orders from the Kremlin
and the various ministries to the hapless workers to
have TO obey = or else.
The Spanish labor unions assume an intermediary
position. Their leaders are freely elected, they take
orders from the state, but, once in a while, they kick
back and kick hard.
Finally, there are the labor unions of the Western
Democracies. In Austria we have only one big organiza-
ton, perfectly free and independent, but with a barely
disguised Socialist leadership. The same situation, I'M
til a year ago, prevailed in Germany.
This notion of a unitarv labor organization is of Brit
ish and American origin and dates from the occupation
period. 1t was criticized, in varying degrees, by Catho-
lies land, less so, by Evangelicals). They remembered
the time between the wars when we had fairly large
Christian Trade Unions under a predominantly Catholic
leadership. In Austria the Catholic workers have some
sort OF representation in the steering committees. In
Germany, where most Christian workers always. felt
sighted by the Socialists, a renewal of the Christian
Trade Unions took place. Our workers have an un-
usual degree of loyalty towards their organization and
thus very few joined the new Christian Trade Union.
Most of the new members were men and women
who had no previous a%ffiliation. The view which was
generally taken was rather pessimistic. The "rebirth'
seemed to have been a dud. But then, suddenly, the
elections in the Krupp Works produced a good third of
all votes for the 'C.G.D.", which came as a totally I'M
expected victory.
Nov the German Bishops have taken a stronger
stand in favor of the Christian trade unions which con-
One hopes for a larger participation of Evangeicals
eventually. The real center of this movement is the
Saar rather than the Ruhr region.
In France, Italy, and some other countries the Trade
Unions are divided strictly along political lines. In some
cases we see a ommunist-dominate a mildly socialist
Tor an entirely neutraD, and a Christian trade union COM
rnfin1 ron1 If %o1tor - oNaro~ r%~nI So ouo@~
tional cases.
The element of political theology, ever-present in
Europe, makes no exception with the trade unions. The
Netherlands have separate Catholic and Reformed trade
unions "a unique situation highlighting the traditional
UNCONVENTIONAL tensions in the Netherlands, Britain has
a unitary Trade Union under a strongly socialist leader
ship.
Now, what do people think about these unions? First
of all, there exist still a few old-fashioned liberals" who
thoroughly dislike them, but a criticism of labor unions
on principle is very rare among Catholics, Conservatives,
or Monarchists and-needless to %say-does not exist on
the Left. The right of labor to organize is taken for
granted. Of course, there are varions features of trade
unionism which come in for specific criticism. Within
the unions Socialism is receding because labor leaders
slowly but surely realize that they have no place in a
mount to treason in a socialist state and the right to
strike in a real emergency must be maintained. get, to
call a strike before all other means of settlement are ex.
hauSted is a grave responsibility. -
On the whole the n~on-communist labor unions in
Europe have become quite reasonable. Their leaders
gradually understand their responsibility towards the
common SOOu. *
There is practically no hook-up with organized
crime, if for no other reason than that crime, in western
Europe with the exception of some very retarded areas)
has no chance to grow excessively. And one more thing:
all efforts towards a closed shop are seriously opposed
by public opinion. We consider a closed shop as incom-
patible with basic liberty. The worker must be free to
choose his union.
1t makes little difference, we think, whether he is
unjustly fired by his employer-or by his work mates
Freedom takes precedence over security and there is nc
real security for the individual without liberty.