180 
DORTMUND. 
commonly piece wages paid to a gang (“Kameradschaft”) of from 4 to 10 
workmen ; the price of the particular piece of work is settled between the 
manager and the eldest workman in the gang on behalf of himself and his 
fellows. Wages are paid monthly, but an advance is generally made halfway 
through the month. 
The workmen’s unions in Dortmund are not very strong. The branch of 
the Socialist German Metal Workers’ Union has only some 1,800 members, 
and the “ Christian ” or Roman Catholic unions are much weaker. The miners’ 
unions are also very small, the strongholds of the miners being at Bochum (for 
the Socialists) and Essen (for the “ Christian ” movement). 
There are two Workmen’s Secretariates at Dortmund. One of these has 
been founded, and is maintained, by the various Socialist unions, which 
contribute according to their membership. In 1905 there were 8,186 clients 
who made personal visits, connected with 8,579 cases, in addition to 411 cases 
dealt with by letter. The great majority of the clients, 6,355, were miners, 
and 32 per cent, of the cases were concerned with compulsory insurance. 
There is also a Secretariate established by the Catholic organisations, which 
deals with some 3,000 cases a year. One result of the activity of these two 
agencies is that the municipal authorities have themselves recently established 
a bureau for free legal advice. 
In the coal-mining industry hewers earned in October, 1905, from 30s. to 
36s. and trammers from 17s. 8d. to 19s. 10d. per week of six shifts, each of 
eight hours, excluding the time taken by the descent and ascent, which makes 
about half an hour a day extra. Surface labourers earned from 18s. Id. to 21s. 0d. 
for 60 hours’ work. 
The following Table gives the average number of shifts, the average wages 
per shift, and the average net earnings (after deduction of insurance contribu 
tions, &c.) of each workman in the entire Dortmund mining area for the years 
1900-1905* :— 
Group. 
Underground Workers (Hewers 
and Trammers). 
Other Underground Workers ... ^ 
Above-ground Workers ... 
I 
Year. 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1903 
1904 
1905 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1903 
1904 
1905 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1903 
1904 
1905 
Average 
Shifts 
per Workman. 
Average 
Wages per 
Shift. 
309 
291 
288 
304 
296 
283 
327 
306 
297 
311 
301 
291 
339 
325 
322 
332 
333 
334 
s. d. 
5 2 
4 10 
3 4 
3 4 
3 3 
3 3 
3 4 
3 5 
3 4 
3 4 
3 3 
3 3 
3 4 
3 5 
Average Annual 
Earnings 
per Workman. 
£ s. 
79 12 
72 7 
65 14 
70 11 
70 15 
68 10 
54 16 
51 4 
47 15 
50 17 
50 
49 
56 
54 
52 
54 14 
55 16 
57 3 
* It must be remembered that the number of shifts and the total earnings in 1905 were 
affected by the great coal strike. 
In the engineering trades skilled men earn as a rule from 27s. to 32s. per 
week, moulders and smiths going up to 36s., while labourers earn from 20s. to 
23s. In the iron and steel works first smelters earn from 33s. to 36s. and 
second smelters from 24s. to 27s., first and second puddlers from 33s. to 37s. 2d. 
and from 27s. to 30s. respectively, while leading rollers earn from 57s. to 63s., 
second men from 36s. to 39s., and other rollers 27s. to 29s. 5d. In these works 
the wages of unskilled labourers range from 18s. to 21s. 
It should be noted that wages agreements are usual in the building trades, 
these being concluded between the employers in the several trades and the two 
groups of trade unions (the Socialist and Christian) jointly ; the two societies 
of bricklayers have together some 2,400 members.