Walter Tille (6 October 1906 – 12 April 1986) 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 ...

trade union leader. Born in

Crimmitschau Crimmitschau () is a town in the district of Zwickau in Saxony, Germany. Geography Crimmitschau lies on the river Pleiße in the northern foothills of the Erzgebirge. Neighboring municipalities Adjacent communities include: Zwickau, Dennherit ...

, Tille worked as a bricklayer. He joined the

German Construction Workers' Union The German Construction Workers' Union (german: Deutscher Bauarbeiter-Verband, DBV) was a trade union representing building workers in Germany. The union was founded on 1 January 1911, when the Central Union of Masons merged with the Central Uni ...

and the Socialist Workers' Youth in 1921, and then Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1923. He was frequently arrested for his political activities, and in 1933 fled to Czechoslovakia. However, he returned the following year and worked as a bricklayer again until 1940, when he was drafted 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 previo ...

. Tille was interned in Norway in 1945, but escaped back to Germany. There, he joined the

Free German Trade Union Federation The Free German Trade Union Federation (german: Freier Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund or ''FDGB'') was the sole national trade union centre of the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) which existed from 1946 and 1990. As a mass organis ...

(FDGB) and the

Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (german: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, ; SED, ), often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East German ...

(SED). He was appointed as head of the Crimmitschau Commission for the Expropriation of Nazi and War Criminals, and was also elected to the city council. From 1947, Tille worked managing a construction company, and then in the city's civil engineering department, where he developed a quick and cheap method of creating wall and door openings. This brought him increased prominence, and he held various roles in the Industrial Union of Construction, becoming president of the executive of its successor, the

Industrial Union of Construction and Wood The Industrial Union of Construction and Wood (german: Industriegewerkschaft Bau-Holz, IG Bau-Holz) was a trade union representing construction and wood workers in East Germany. The union was founded in 1950, when the Free German Trade Union Feder ...

(IG Bau-Holz), in 1953. From 1954, he was also an FDGB member of the

Volkskammer __NOTOC__ The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany). The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house w ...

, and from 1957, he was the president of the Trade Union International of Building, Wood, Building Materials and Industries. In 1958, Tille was appointed as secretary of the FDGB's executive committee, and he also joined the SED's central committee. He left most of his roles in 1962 and 1963, becoming a leader of the centre for innovation in civil engineering. From 1967, he again served on the executive of IG Bau-Holz, representing retired members, and he remained in the post until his death, in 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tille, Walter 1906 births 1986 deaths German trade unionists Members of the Volkskammer Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians