Stinnes-Legien_Agreement
Stinnes–Legien Agreement
1918 workers' rights agreement
The Stinnes–Legien Agreement (German: Stinnes-Legien-Abkommen) was an accord concluded by German trade unions and industrialists on 15 November 1918.[1] Named after both parties' negotiators in chief, the heavy industry magnate Hugo Stinnes and the union leader Carl Legien, the agreement enshrined a set of workers' rights long coveted by the German labour movement.
Among the stipulations of the treaty were the introduction of the eight-hour working day, the recognition of the trade unions as the official representation of the workforce, and the permission to form workers' councils in firms with more than 50 employees. Since negotiations had been caused by the prospect of millions of soldiers returning from the First World War, the agreement contained a clause guaranteeing them a right to their former employment. While the trade unions were able to realise many of their long-standing demands, they all but acknowledged the private ownership of the means of production.