Fagoppositionens Sammenslutning

The Trade Union Opposition Federation (Danish: Fagoppositionens Sammenslutning; FS) was a Danish trade union federation. Established in 1910 by syndicalist opponents of the social-democratic dominance over trade unions, the FS pursued a strategy of dual unionism and worked within existing trade unions with the intention of radicalising them. The membership of the FS consisted largely of industrial workers in Copenhagen, where they carried out a series of strike actions, including wildcat strikes, to improve working conditions.

The FS experienced a surge in growth during World War I as the social-democratic unions failed to keep up with the rising cost of living while the syndicalists secured reductions in working hours and wage increases. By the end of the war, the FS had reached its peak with 3,000 members; its members participated in the storming of the Stock Exchange, secured the eight-hour working day and the weekend, and contributed to a reduction in unemployment. Around the time of the Easter Crisis of 1920, the syndicalist movement experienced a series of defeats and splits that led to its decline. Divides between the anarcho-syndicalists and communists resulted in the FS splitting, with the former establishing their own small federation, while the latter merged into the Communist Party of Denmark (DKP).

Establishment

The growth of syndicalism in Denmark was slower than in Norway and Sweden, as Danish trade union leaders had been able to establish collective bargaining rights much earlier than in the other Scandinavian countries. But following a wave of lockouts, when the social-democratic leadership of Danish trade unions agreed to a compromise deal with business owners, disillusionment among the rank-and-file began to increase. By the end of the 1900s, revolutionary syndicalist ideas had begun to gain traction within the Danish labour movement.