Miners' Union in the Czechoslovak Republic

The 1921–1922 split in the OSČ, when many communist trade unionists either were expelled or withdrew from the centre to form the parallel Mezinárodní všeodborový svaz (MVS), affected the Miners' Union somewhat differently from other unions. The Miners' Union did not see any immediate split, but much tension between communists and Social Democrats. All sides did however, at an initial stage, value the unity of union. Whilst there had been calls from MVS for miners to join the new centre, such appeals did not have the support of the Communist Party (who instead sought to consolidate their strength inside the Miners' Union). A smaller group of coalminers from Northern Bohemia joined the MVS-affiliated Chemical Workers' Union. The mining areas of Kladno was a communist stronghold. In the Ostrava-Karviná coalfields, three separate branches had been formed, one at Moravska Ostrava, one Polish branch at Karviná and one communist-dominated branch at Orlov.[2]

At the time, the general secretary of the Miners' Union was the Social Democratic MP Karel Brožík.[2]

Between August 20, 1923 and October 6, 1923, a miners strike was launched. The strike ended unsuccessfully, as the Miners' Union in the end accepted cuts in salaries between 9 and 13%. The communists opposed the deal, and the division inside the union became fierce. The communists broke away, and took approximately 10,000 miners with them into the MVS.[7]