Exploitation
In mining, the term “yield” has a positive connotation. “Yield” refers to the returns obtained from a mineral deposit – once exploited, they cannot be extracted a second time.
Beyond the exploitation of mineral resources, it was recognized early on that mining also “consumes” other natural resources and even people. The health hazards in traditional mining were enormous, which resulted in a very low life expectancy for the miners.
Even working animals such as horses were used without regard. The environmental impact of mining and ore processing is still evident centuries later.
Technical innovations made mining safer over the centuries, and miners fought in solidarity for better conditions. Ecological concerns are also given greater consideration today. However, in developing countries, mining remains dangerous even now.
Mine horses were used underground well into the 20th century. Once brought into the mine, they typically remained there until the end of their lives, without exposure to daylight and often with meager nourishment.
The first comprehensive occupational medical treatise on the diseases of miners was written by none other than the famous physician Paracelsus. In it, he described a fatal lung disease known as “mining sickness.” This condition was particularly common among miners from Schneeberg. However, to understand the origin of the disease, radioactivity had to be discovered first. Today it is known that inhaled radioactive dust is the primary cause of this form of lung cancer.
Yet even improved knowledge did not always protect people, as safety measures were thwarted by recklessness, lack of resources, or simple greed.
Canaries are often seen today as a symbol of the exploitation of animals, as they were taken underground. In cases of oxygen deficiency, the birds would literally drop dead, thus saving the miners. In fact, the use of canaries in traditional German mining is not documented.
Because British coal miners grew to love their canaries, a London company developed a cage with a small oxygen cylinder. By opening the valve, unconscious canaries were meant to be revived.
Fatal accidents in German mining have become very rare. But that was not always the case. In addition to the obvious dangers to the life and limb of miners, there were hidden and long-term hazards.
For instance, radiation exposure at Wismut AG shortly after the war was 37.5 times the internationally recommended limit. More than 45,000 miners at Wismut often suffered fatal long-term damage as a result. Even a helmet cannot protect against that.
Forced Labor
As in all industries, the Nazis also employed forced laborers in mining. These individuals had to work and live under inhumane conditions.
A forced labor camp was located near Altenberg in the Eastern Ore Mountains from 1943 to 1945. Here, primarily Soviet prisoners of war were forced to work in a mine. Today, hardly any traces of this injustice remain. The life story of a single survivor was reconstructed.
Excavations at the camp uncovered everyday objects from the lives of both the prisoners and the guards.
These quotes are taken from the memoirs of former forced laborer Petro Grigorovitch Gorbarenko. After the Ukrainian learned in 2000 about a compensation fund for forced laborers established by the Federal Republic, he contacted the local head of his former labor camp. His recollections are derived from a correspondence with the visitor mine in Zinnwald.
"After a while, they began to advertise for young people to work in Germany. However, since no volunteers could be found, the village elder was forced to provide a certain number by compulsion. Initially, he recruited children from large families. It was a difficult time for the youth. […] Later, the selection process was changed – mobilization based on the year of birth […]. It proceeded in order until the class of 1926 (in 1943), when I, along with other peers, was next. Naturally, it was an unpleasant night, especially for my mother, who was left behind with three children. Local police officers accompanied us from the village to the designated collection point.
In the mine, our work consisted of transporting the ore with carts from the location where it was extracted by other workers […] to the shaft exit, from where it was pulled up to the top floor of the factory on inclined rails with the aid of an electric winch.
We were also required to perform various tasks for the boss. A not very competent and not very elderly German needed six of us to move a wooden shed […] without dismantling or damaging it. And for that, we would then receive insults such as "pigs", "dogs", and the like. […] Not only did he hurl many insults at us, but he also delivered kicks and punches to various parts of our bodies."
Mine- accidents
Among all the dangers that accompany mining, mine accidents have particularly tragic consequences. Collapsing mine structures, explosions of gas or coal dust, or mine fires can kill or injure many miners at once. Even though modern German mines are considered especially safe and operate with the highest safety standards, mine accidents claim many mining lives worldwide every year.
The Last Shift
Miners were aware of their own transience. Many of them died from the dangerous work or its consequences. For the living, a dignified funeral in honor of the deceased was therefore important. Typically, the mining association paid for the wake, the funeral service, and the burial of their deceased member so that the individual could be properly ushered into “the last shift.” The deceased was accompanied by all off-duty members, and the mining flag with black mourning trim was carried at the front.
These emblems were placed on the black cloth that covered the coffin during the burial, emphasizing the deceased’s affiliation with the trade. For each type of mining task there was a corresponding emblem. Here you can see the funeral emblems of pitmen and miners.
Solidarity
The work in mining is strenuous and dangerous, which is why it is always performed by several people. Through working together, a sense of community emerged early on, both underground and above ground. The miners eventually formed the first mining associations and prayer brotherhoods.
A primary focus of these groups was the protection of their members and their interests. Early members of the mining associations contributed a portion of their wages to a common fund. The collected money was used, among other things, for emergency loans to those in need and for funerals. In addition, the associations represented their members in negotiations with employers and mining authorities to secure better working conditions and fair wages. This led to labor disputes in the Ore Mountains as early as around 1500.
In the end, the mining associations represented all individuals working in mining – including senior mining officials. They evolved into an instrument of power. Consequently, during industrialization, trade unions emerged in the mining sector in the modern sense as a replacement for the mining associations.
The unions fought for the interests of the miners against employers and the state. The first German miners' union was established in Lugau on January 17, 1869, in response to two mine accidents in the region.