Great work!

Hjem // Great work!

125 years of union representatives

The union representatives are often described as “the foundation of the union” or “the backbone of the Danish model”. Despite their invaluable importance to the labour movement—and, in fact, to Danish society as a whole—the thousands of union representatives across the country carry out their daily work unnoticed and far from the public eye. That needs to change.

We give voices to the union representatives

In the Workers Museum’s upcoming temporary exhibition, we give voices to the union representatives – in the past and present, in their own time and in the future. It is an exhibition about those colleagues who paved the way and fought for better work conditions. About those colleagues who stood in the eye of the hurricane as the conflict rose. About those colleagues who took a seat at the table of negotiation. About those colleagues who make everyday life run smoothly, and those who work hard every day to ensure the Danish model stays alive.

In everyday life and conflicts

Through personal stories in topical interviews and historical snapshots, the exhibition tells the story of the lives of the union representatives. You will meet the representatives through 125 years – during the daily work, where the union representatives successfully tackle potential conflicts as they appear, and in the challenging conflicts where the union representatives are in a vulnerable position between conflicts of interests. Furthermore, the exhibition presents a “course in union representing” and allows you to explore the many different aspects of the work of union representatives.

Pre-order a guided group tour here »

Blacksmiths paved the way

We mark the 125th anniversary of the first time employers officially acknowledged the union representatives. It happened when the Danish Blacksmiths and Machinists’ Union (now Danish Metal) and iron manufacturers’ and craftsmen’s associations signed the March Agreement of 1900. In the trade magazine, the chairman of the blacksmiths, J. A. Hansen, explained what had been achieved:

“It has been achieved, for the first time, that the manufacturers in the iron industry have recognised parliamentarism in the workshops. By the agreement of September 5th (The September Agreement), it was established that the labour buyer had the exclusive right to manage and distribute the work. Our collective agreement states that there are two parties in the workshop, between which negotiations must take place, and we have recognised that in every major workshop, there is an established union representative who will facilitate such negotiations.”

According to the agreement, the union representative acted as a spokesperson on behalf of the comrades, and he was to deliver complaints to the management. Alongside, he was instructed to work towards calm cooperation in the workplace. The words on these two pages are the core of the work of the union representative, and they have stayed mostly unchanged throughout the last 125 years, all the while the institution of the union representatives has spread across the Danish labour market.