Karl Hauenschild (30 August 1920 – 28 February 2006) 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 **Ger ...

trade union leader and politician. Born in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, Hauenschild left school early due to economic hardship. He refused to join the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

, and so was barred from his planned career in financial administration, instead becoming a clerk at a chemical company. In 1940, he was conscripted into the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

and fought on the Eastern Front. He was wounded, and then later captured by American troops, becoming a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. In May 1945, Hauenschild was released and returned to his job at the chemical company. He also joined the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

and a local forerunner of the

Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union The Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union (german: IG Chemie-Papier-Keramik) was a trade union representing chemical, oil refinery, paper, rubber, ceramics, glass and plastics workers in West Germany. While the Factory Workers' Union of Germany, disso ...

(IG Chemie). From 1947, he worked full-time as a union organiser in Hanover, which also happened to be the headquarters to the co-ordination of the various zonal unions in the chemical industry. As a result, his skills were noticed, and he was given a leading role in organisation education within the union. Later, he was elected to the union's executive committee, with responsibility for organisation and administration. In 1969, Hauenschild was elected as president of IG Chemie, in which role he took the union to the right-wing of the union movement. A strong supporter of

social partnership Social partnership ( ga, Pairtíocht sóisialta) is the term used for the tripartite, triennial national pay agreements reached in Ireland. The process was initiated in 1987, following a period of high inflation and weak economic growth which le ...

, he was criticised for conducting secretive negotiations with employers, and leading a top-down style of organisation. In 1970, he was additionally elected as president of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions. From 1979 to 1980, Hauenschild served as a member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. He retired from his union positions in 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hauenschild, Karl 1920 births 2006 deaths German Army personnel of World War II German trade unionists MEPs for Germany 1979–1984 Politicians from Hanover Social Democratic Party of Germany MEPs Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States