German Confederation of Trade Unions
Encyclopedia
The Confederation of German Trade Unions is an umbrella organisation (sometimes known as a national trade union center
) for eight German trade union
s, in total representing more than 7 million people (31 December 2004). It was founded in Munich
, 12 October 1949.
The DGB coordinates joint demands and activities within the German trade union movement. It represents the member unions in contact with the government authorities, the political parties and the employers' organisations. However, the umbrella organisation is not directly involved in collective bargaining
and does not conclude collective labour agreements.
Union delegates elect committees for 9 districts, 94 regions and the federal centre. The organisation holds a federal congress every four years. This assembly sets the framework for trade union policies and elects five Federal Executives. Together with the presidents of the member unions they constitute the DGB's executive committee. The members of the executive committee, together with the DGB regional presidents and 70 delegates from the unions, form a Federal Council which meets once a year to make decisions on national issues. The DGB also has a youth organisation, DGB-Jugend.
The DGB has its headquarters in Berlin. It is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation
(ETUC) and the International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC).
. It represented 57 national and some local unions with approximate 300,000 people in total. After World War I unions had to reorganise. During a congress in Nuremberg
from 30 June until 5 July 1919 the Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
(ADGB) was founded as an umbrella organisation of 52 unions with more than 3 million members. The ADGB may be seen as predecessor of today's DGB. Like today, there also existed a conservative counterpart of lesser importance.
Curiously, this conservative organisation was named Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB. On 2 May 1933 all trade unions were dissolved
by the Nazis
.
On 9–11 February 1946 the Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, FDGB was founded in Berlin
as a confederation of 15 unions in the Soviet occupation zone.
On 23–25 April 1947 the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB was founded in Bielefeld
as a confederation of 12 unions in the Allied-occupied Germany.
Foundations in the American occupation zone:
24/25 August 1946: Freier Gewerkschaftsbund Hessen
30 August – 1 September 1946: Gewerkschaftsbund Württemberg-Baden
27–29 March 1947: Bayerischer Gewerkschaftsbund
Foundations in the French occupation zone:
15/16 February 1947: Gewerkschaftsbund Süd-Württemberg und Hohenzollern
1/2 March 1947: Badischer Gewerkschaftsbund
2 May 1947: Allgemeiner Gewerkschaftsbund Rheinland-Pfalz
On 12–14 October, the 7 umbrella organisation in West Germany
merged into the West German DGB as a confederation of 16 single trade unions.
Number of members, 30 June 1949:
joined the members of the DGB.
Until today many single member unions of the DGB have merged, so recently the DGB only has 8 members.
( DGB in total: 6,193,252 members = 100% // all values: 2010-12-31 )
The Deutsche Angestellten Gewerkschaft
– DAG – was a large white collar trade union.
Although the DAG in the British zone 1946 was a member of the DGB in the British zone,
the West German DAG never joined the West German DGB as a single member union.
But in 2001 the DAG merged with four existing DGB unions to become the new DGB union ver.di.
National trade union center
A national trade union center is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a single country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. When there is more than one national center, it is often because of ideological differences—in some...
) for eight German trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s, in total representing more than 7 million people (31 December 2004). It was founded in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 12 October 1949.
The DGB coordinates joint demands and activities within the German trade union movement. It represents the member unions in contact with the government authorities, the political parties and the employers' organisations. However, the umbrella organisation is not directly involved in collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
and does not conclude collective labour agreements.
Union delegates elect committees for 9 districts, 94 regions and the federal centre. The organisation holds a federal congress every four years. This assembly sets the framework for trade union policies and elects five Federal Executives. Together with the presidents of the member unions they constitute the DGB's executive committee. The members of the executive committee, together with the DGB regional presidents and 70 delegates from the unions, form a Federal Council which meets once a year to make decisions on national issues. The DGB also has a youth organisation, DGB-Jugend.
The DGB has its headquarters in Berlin. It is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation
European Trade Union Confederation
The European Trade Union Confederation is a trade union organization which was established in 1973 to represent workers and their national affiliates at the European level....
(ETUC) and the International Trade Union Confederation
International Trade Union Confederation
The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
(ITUC).
Until 1933
As first German confederation of unions at 14 March 1892 the Generalkommission der Gewerkschaften Deutschlands was founded in HalberstadtHalberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
. It represented 57 national and some local unions with approximate 300,000 people in total. After World War I unions had to reorganise. During a congress in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
from 30 June until 5 July 1919 the Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
The Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund was a confederation of German trade unions in Germany founded during the Weimar Republic. It was founded in 1919 and was initially powerful enough to organize a general strike in 1920 against a right-wing coup d'état. After the 1929 Wall Street crash,...
(ADGB) was founded as an umbrella organisation of 52 unions with more than 3 million members. The ADGB may be seen as predecessor of today's DGB. Like today, there also existed a conservative counterpart of lesser importance.
Curiously, this conservative organisation was named Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB. On 2 May 1933 all trade unions were dissolved
Gleichschaltung
Gleichschaltung , meaning "coordination", "making the same", "bringing into line", is a Nazi term for the process by which the Nazi regime successively established a system of totalitarian control and tight coordination over all aspects of society. The historian Richard J...
by the Nazis
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
1946–1949
After World War II German unions had to reorganise once again.On 9–11 February 1946 the Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, FDGB was founded in Berlin
as a confederation of 15 unions in the Soviet occupation zone.
On 23–25 April 1947 the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB was founded in Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
as a confederation of 12 unions in the Allied-occupied Germany.
Foundations in the American occupation zone:
24/25 August 1946: Freier Gewerkschaftsbund Hessen
30 August – 1 September 1946: Gewerkschaftsbund Württemberg-Baden
27–29 March 1947: Bayerischer Gewerkschaftsbund
Foundations in the French occupation zone:
15/16 February 1947: Gewerkschaftsbund Süd-Württemberg und Hohenzollern
1/2 March 1947: Badischer Gewerkschaftsbund
2 May 1947: Allgemeiner Gewerkschaftsbund Rheinland-Pfalz
On 12–14 October, the 7 umbrella organisation in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
merged into the West German DGB as a confederation of 16 single trade unions.
Number of members, 30 June 1949:
- DGB of the British zone ................................................. 2,885,036
- Freier Gewerkschaftsbund Hessen .................................... 397,008
- Gewerkschaftsbund Württemberg-Baden .......................... 464,905
- Bayerischer Gewerkschaftsbund ....................................... 815,161
- Gewerkschaftsbund Süd-Württemberg und Hohenzollern ... 75,502
- Badischer Gewerkschaftsbund ............................................ 92,257
- Allgemeiner Gewerkschaftsbund Rheinland-Pfalz ............. 232,117
- Total...............................................................................4,961,986
Until today
In 1990 the members of the FDGB of the German Democratic RepublicGerman Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
joined the members of the DGB.
Until today many single member unions of the DGB have merged, so recently the DGB only has 8 members.
Today
- IG BAU – IG Bauen-Agrar-UmweltIG Bauen-Agrar-UmweltThe IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt is a trade union in Germany with a membership of 350000 . It is one of 8 industrial affiliates of the DGB...
(Construction, Agriculture, Environment) 314,568 members = 5.08% - IG BCE – IG Bergbau, Chemie, EnergieIG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie-External links:*...
(Mining, Chemicals, Energy) 675,606 members = 10.91% - GEW – Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (Education and Science) 260,297 members = 4.20%
- IGM – IG MetallIG MetallIG Metall is the dominant metalworkers' union in Germany. Analysts of German labor relations consider it a major trend-setter in national bargaining. As a metalworkers' union, it represents workers in the motor vehicle industry...
(Metalworkers) 2,239,588 members = 36.16% - NGG – Gewerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten (Food, Beverages and Catering) 205,646 members = 3.32%
- GdP – Gewerkschaft der Polizei (Police) 170,607 members = 2.75%
- EVG - Eisenbahn- und VerkehrsgewerkschaftEisenbahn- und VerkehrsgewerkschaftThe Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft EVG is a German trade union with approximately 240,000 members.It was founded on November 30, 2010 in Fulda as an unification of the existing unions Transnet and GDBA , which collaborated since 2005.The EVG ia a member of the Confederation of German Trade...
(Railway Workers) 232,485 members = 3.75% - ver.diVer.di-External links:* * on the ver.di homepage...
– Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (United Services Union) 2,094,455 members = 33.82%
( DGB in total: 6,193,252 members = 100% // all values: 2010-12-31 )
1949
- GEW // still existing, see above
- NGG // still existing, see above
- GdED – Gewerkschaft der Eisenbahner Deutschlands // 2000 renamed to TRANSNET, 2010 unified to EVG, see above
- IGM // still existing, see above
- Gewerkschaft Textil und Bekleidung .................. since 1998 part of IGM
- Gewerkschaft Holz und Kunststoff .................... since 2000 part of IGM
- IG BSE – IG Bau-Steine-Erden ........................ since 1996 IG BAU, see above
- Gewerkschaft Gartenbau, Land- und Forstwirtschaft ... since 1996 IG BAU
- IG BE – IG Bergbau und Energie ...................... since 1997 IG BCE, see above
- IG Chemie, Papier, Keramik .......................... since 1997 IG BCE
- Gewerkschaft Leder .................................. since 1997 IG BCE
- DPG – Deutsche Postgewerkschaft ................................. since 2001 ver.di, see above
- HBV – Gewerkschaft Handel, Banken und Versicherungen ............ since 2001 ver.di
- ÖTV – Gewerkschaft Öffentliche Dienste, Transport und Verkehr ... since 2001 ver.di
- IG Druck und Papier, "DruPa" .......... 1989 IG Medien .......... since 2001 ver.di
- IG Kunst, Kultur und Medien ........... 1989 IG Medien .......... since 2001 ver.di
Other unions
In 1978 the Gewerkschaft der Polizei (GdP, see above) joined the DGB as 17th union.The Deutsche Angestellten Gewerkschaft
German Salaried Employees' Union
The German Salaried Employees' Union, in German Deutsche Angestellten-Gewerkschaft was an independent trade union based in Hamburg...
– DAG – was a large white collar trade union.
Although the DAG in the British zone 1946 was a member of the DGB in the British zone,
the West German DAG never joined the West German DGB as a single member union.
But in 2001 the DAG merged with four existing DGB unions to become the new DGB union ver.di.
External links
- Official site in German
- http://www.dgb.de/sprachen/englisch/