Between 1920 and 1936 miners in Czechoslovakia elected representative councils. Several different trade unions, representing various different political tendencies, contested the elections. A law for work councils in the mining industry was passed in June, 1920, being the first such law in Czechoslovakia.[1] Councils were elected with tenures of two years.[2] Elections to local mining councils were held at all mines with 20 employees or more. The condition to stand as a candidate was to be a Czechoslovak citizen aged 24 years or older, who had worked at the mine for minimum six months over the past 3 years. In order to vote in the election one had to be a Czechoslovak citizen aged 18 years or older, and having worked at least three months in the past 2 years. Each council had two advisers representing the management, one technical and one commercial.[3]
Per Dubský (1984), the elections held in 1928 yielded the following result across the country;
| Union | Political affiliation | North Bohemia | Falkenov | Plzeň | Kladno | Žacléř | Ostrava | Rosice- Oslavany | Slovakia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') | Communist | 115 | 10 | 18 | 66 | 3 | 125 | 21 | 34 | 392 | |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') | Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 56 | 34 | 27 | 1 | 130 | 42 | 79 | 369 | ||
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') | German Social Democrat (DSAP) | 178 | 95 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 308 | ||||
| Národní sdružení odborových organizací ('National Association of Trade Union Organizations') | Czechoslovak National Democracy[4] | 12 | 12 | 1 | 50 | 75 | |||||
| Jednota horníků a hutníků ('Unity of Miners and Ironworkers') | Czechoslovak National Socialist | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 50 | ||||
| Sdružení československých horníků ('Association of Czechoslovak Miners') | Syndicalist[5] | 23 | 1 | 2 | 26 | ||||||
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') | German National Socialist | 22 | 3 | 25 | |||||||
| Svaz křesťanských horníků a hutníků ('Union of Christian Miners and Ironworkers') | Czechoslovak People's Party[6] [7] [8] | 2 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 23 | ||||
| Others | 14 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 37 | ||||||
| Total | 451 | 126 | 72 | 109 | 20 | 341 | 65 | 121 | 1,305 |
Per Oellermann (2013), having slightly different estimates than Dubský, the work council elections in Northern Bohemia, Falkenov and Trautenau had the following composition;
| Union | Political affiliation | 1924 | 1926 | 1929 | 1931 | 1933 | 1936 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') | German Social Democrat | 204 | 188 | 180 | 162 | 123 | 132 | |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') | Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 60 | 58 | 54 | 59 | 55 | 62 | |
| Sdružení československých horníků ('Association of Czechoslovak Miners') | Syndicalist | 50 | 35 | 12 | ||||
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') | Communist | 86 | 97 | 113 | ||||
| Průmyslový svaz horníků ('Industrial Miners' Union') | Communist | 86 | 78 | 46 | ||||
| Jednota horníků a hutníků ('Unity of Miners and Ironworkers') | Czechoslovak National Socialist | 30 | 30 | 31 | 44 | 39 | 35 | |
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') | German National Socialist | 25 | 24 | 21 | 38 | 67 |
| Union | Political affiliation | 1924 | 1926 | 1929 | 1931 | 1933 | 1936 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') | German Social Democrat | 102 | 10 | 95 | 89 | 87 | 66 | |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') | Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 4 | 2 | |||||
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') | Communist | 3 | 6 | 10 | ||||
| Průmyslový svaz horníků ('Industrial Miners' Union') | Communist | 5 | 8 | 6 | ||||
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') | German National Socialist | 3 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| Deutschen Arbeitergewerkschaft ('German Workers Trade Union') | Sudeten German Party[11] | 35 | ||||||
| Fachverbandes der Berg- und Hüttenarbeiter u.v.B. „Solidarität“ ('Trade Union of Miners, Ironworkers and related professions "Solidarity"') | 25 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 12 |
| Union | Political affiliation | 1924 | 1926 | 1929 | 1931 | 1933 | 1936 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union der Bergarbeiter ('Union of Miners') | German Social Democrat | 17 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | |
| Svaz horníků v Československé republice ('Miners' Union of the Czechoslovak Republic') | Czechoslovak Social Democrat | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Sdružení československých horníků ('Association of Czechoslovak Miners') | Syndicalist | 4 | ||||||
| Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz – sekce horníků ('International All-Union League - Miners Section') | Communist | 8 | 4 | 3 | ||||
| Průmyslový svaz horníků ('Industrial Miners' Union') | Communist | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| Jednota horníků a hutníků ('Unity of Miners and Ironworkers') | Czechoslovak National Socialist | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Deutschsozialistische Bergarbeiterverband ('German Socialist Miners' Union') | German National Socialist | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Národní sdružení ('National Association') | Czechoslovak National Democracy | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| Verband der christlichen Berg. und Hüttenarbeiter ('Union of Christian Miners and Ironworkers') | German Christian-Social | 2 | 5 | |||||
| Independents | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |