The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 3/Tradesmen's Organizations

by Antonín Zikmund Kříž

Tradesmen’s Organizations

By ANTONÍN KŘÍŽ,

President, Merchant Tailors’ Association of Bohemia.

Tradesmen are looked upon in our country as the real middle class. The law defines tradesman as craftsman or merchant who has his own business in which he employs less than 20 people. They have their special organizations, prescribed by law. Each trade has its own society or gremium which watches over all workers and apprentices; for their benefit there exists compulsory insurance in cases of sickness and accident. The master pays one third of the premium and deducts the rest from the employee’s pay. The law provides that eight hours shall be a day’s work, and the period of apprenticeship lasts from two to four years, according to the trade.

Every apprentice must attend a trade school until he is 18 years old. When his time is up, he becomes a regular worker, but before he can start a business of his own, he must first undergo an examination as journeyman, so that there is a difference between a mere employee of mature age and a journeyman. After reaching the stage of journeyman a man must work in this capacity for three years, before he can become master, and some trade societies have already introduced special examinations for those who desire to engage in business as masters. In all cases only those may be accepted as members of the tradesmen’s societies or gremia who have proved that they are real masters of their trade. There are both local and county societies of tradesmen, and in the cities there are also societies for each of the more important trades. In Prague there are 90 such specialized societies, each of which must have according to law at least 20 members. County, provincial and state officials exercise supervision over all these societies.

Trade schools in Bohemia are excellent. The state pays 40% of the cost, while the rest is divided between county, city, chamber of commerce and tradesmen’s societies. These last collect from every apprentice a registration fee of about 10 crowns and another fee of 15 to 20 crowns at the end of his term of apprenticeship. The trade schools have shops in which the instructors are specialists in their lines. The city furnishes school rooms, light and heat. Local or city societies are subordinate to county organizations, and these again to provincial bodies which will now be combined into one organization for the entire Republic.

Every important trade, like tailors, shoemakers, blacksmiths, butchers, barbers, bakers, furriers, millers, gardeners, printers etc., has its own central trade organization with rights and duties enumerated by law. These bodies publish official trade journals, either weeklies or bi-monthlies. Thus the organization of the Czechoslovak tradesmen is complete, and it is supplemented by a similar organization of the employees, with which agreements are made governing conditions of employment.

War has affected Czechoslovak tradesmen more adversely than any other class of the nation. In the first place perhaps a majority of them were mobilized, even those that had a numerous family or were physically deficient. If they were not fit to serve at the front, they were compelled to work for the army in the rear; thus ladies’ tailors were sent to coal mines or worked on fortifications back of the lines.

During the war many of these tradesmen’s societies established companies for the purpose of purchasing materials and selling the products of their members. These companies were regularly incorporated and did large business with capital subscribed by the tradesmen. Today there are several hundred such companies with imposing capitalization, behind which stands the liability of the shareholders to two or more times the amount of their subscription. The companies are supervised by the commercial court, and their accounts are inspected by controllers of the central tradesmen’s society. The largest concern is a shoe factory in Pečky with a paid up capital of many million of crowns. All these companies have made good and are prospernig in spite of the unsettled post-war situation.