Borza Tibor (szerk.): A Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum évkönyve 1970 (Budapest, Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum, 1970)

Gadanecz Béláné: A vendéglátóipari dolgozók helyzete és mozgalma a szocialista szervezkedést megelőző évtizedekben

В. GADANECZ CATERING TRADE WORKERS' POSITION AND MOVEMENT IN THE DECADES PRECEDING SOCIALIST ORGANIZATION The fight of catering trade workers to improve their living and working conditions had well preceded the development of their socialist trade union movement. It started in guildlike frames and continued in charitable societies under middleclass influence. From the second quarter of the 19th century waiters' societies were established one aller the other taking on as members other workers of the catering trade too. In Budapest the workers of the catering trade and cafés had separate organizations of their awn. In the country unified waiters' societies were formed. In 1884 there were 23 waiters' societies in Hungary. Their greatest merit is that they secured their members sick-relief of hospital treatment and funeral expenses in a period when in Hungary there had been no trace of protective labour legislation. In the early 1890s the period of the activity of old-type relief societies, containing numerous positive features, was over. Catering trade of capitalistic character developed rapidly, the patriarchal threads were gradually torn and the workers' general state of health rapidly deteriorated. Waiters' societies were closely correlated with craftunions and were unable to fight for stopping the workers' uncertain material and social position (low wages, dependence on tip, being at the mercy of employment agents) and their irregular working conditions (unlimited working time, lack of day-off). This time the safeguarding of the catering trade workers' interest demanded modern trade unions too. Following the appeal of the Hungarian Social Democratic Party the waiters' first socialist meeting on 2nd January 1894 demanded, "The waiter trade society should be established!" 296