Danish General Workers' Union


The Danish General Workers' Union was a general union representing mostly unskilled and semi-skilled workers, in Denmark.

History

The union was founded in 1897 as the Danish Workers' Union, becoming the Danish Workers' and Specialist Workers' Union in 1959, then in 1974 adopted its final name. It organised workers who were considered unskilled, or semi-skilled, in industries where the most skilled workers were represented by other unions. This sometimes led to conflict, as it argued that the lowest-paid workers should receive the highest wage increases, to reduce pay differentials.
Over the years, numerous smaller unions have merged in to the Metalworkers' union. These include:
The union affiliated to the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions on formation, but left in 1925, rejoining in 1937. From its formation until 1990, the SID was the largest union in Denmark, but it was then surpassed by the Danish Union of Commercial and Clerical Employees. By 1997, it had 319,680 members, of whom about 37% worked in production, 31% in construction, 24% in transport, and the remainder in various other sectors.
At the end of 2004, the union merged with the Danish Women Workers' Union, to form the United Federation of Danish Workers.