Alexander Schlicke (26 March 1863 – 6 February 1940) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

politician and trade unionist. Born in Berlin, Schlicke trained in precision mechanics at a craft school, and then found work in the industry, moving across the country until he ended up in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. There, he joined the local union of metalworkers, becoming a

shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...

in 1890. That year, he also joined the Social Democratic Association of Frankfurt, and in 1891, he became its chair. In 1891, the local metal workers' union became part of the new German Metal Workers' Union (DMV), the largest union in the country, and Schlicke was appointed as its full-time general secretary. In 1895, he was elected as the union's president, and in both roles, he worked to centralise the union, expand its membership, and reach collective agreements with employers. In 1905, he was additionally elected as general secretary of the

International Metalworkers' Federation The International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) was a global union federation of metalworkers' trade unions, founded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1893. the IMF had more than 200 member organisations in 100 countries, representing a combine ...

, which moved its office to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, where he was working. Schlicke was criticised for opposing industrial action during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and stood down as president of the DMV in 1919. He won election to the

Weimar National Assembly The Weimar National Assembly (German: ), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly (), was the popularly elected constitutional convention and de facto parliament of Germany from 6 February 1919 to 21 May 1920. As part of its ...

, representing the

German Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

, and then in 1920 was elected to the Reichstag. He was Minister of Labour in the Württemberg State Government from January to June 1919, and then in the national government from June 1919 until June 1920, focusing on re-integrating soldiers into the workforce. During this period, the Works Council Act was passed, leading to left-wing demonstrations which were forcibly suppressed. Early in 1921, Schlicke was appointed as the full-time director of the Berlin office of the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

. He retired in 1925, although he served in Parliament until 1930. He died in Stuttgart in 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlicke, Alexander 1863 births 1940 deaths German trade unionists Labor ministers (Germany) Members of the Weimar National Assembly Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Politicians from Berlin