Danish Municipal Workers' Union Explained

The Danish Municipal Workers' Union (Danish: Dansk Kommunalarbejder Forbunds, DKF) was a trade union representing local government workers in Denmark.

The union was established on 19 March 1899 by 47 workers, as the Copenhagen Municipal Workers' Union.[1] In 1920, it began recruiting members across the country, and adopted its final name.[2]

In its early years, the union frequently came into conflict with the Danish General Workers' Union, which wished to organised members by their grade of work, rather than by employer. As a result, the DKF was not initially permitted to affiliate to the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions. In 1964, it changed its name again, becoming the Public Employees' Union - Danish Municipal Workers' Union, and for the first time accepted other public sector workers into membership.[3] By 1991, the union had 119,444 members, of whom 5% worked on local transport. 81% of members were women.[4]

From the 1980s, changes in the health and social care sectors led the union to compete for members with the Homeworkers' Union. In December 1992, the two merged, to form the Union of Public Employees (FOA).[5]

Presidents

1899: Alfred Jensen

1901: Carl Pedersen

1915: T. Thomsen

1936: Rasmus Olsen

1948: A. C. Hansen

1960: Helmuth Andersen

1969: Jørgen Knudsen

1980: Poul Winckler

References

  1. Web site: Københavns Kommunal Arbejderforbund stiftes . FOA . 10 February 2020.
  2. Web site: KKA bliver landsdækkende og ændrer navn . FOA . 10 February 2020.
  3. Web site: DKA skifter navn . FOA . 10 February 2020.
  4. Book: Ebbinghaus . Bernhard . Visser . Jelle . Trade Unions in Western Europe Since 1945 . 2000 . Palgrave Macmillan . Basingstoke . 0333771125 . 177.
  5. Web site: DKA og HAF sammenlægges . FOA . 10 February 2020.