List of trade unions in Germany
This is a list of trade unions in Germany.
Trade union federations
The Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, established 1949, is the most important union organisation. After many mergers it only now consists of 8 trade unions. It mediates inter-union disputes and organises member unions so they do not impede on each other's membership. It follows the Einheitsgewerkschaft principle. In its substantive politics it is aligned mostly with the SPD. Members are not bound by DGB policies. The representation in the DGB is democratic, so in practice IG Metall and ver.di dominate the agenda and policy with most members.
Individual unions
There are 8 unions, following a long series of mergers, affiliated to the largest German trade union confederation, the Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB).
Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
| Name | Est. | Members | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industriegewerkschaft Metall | 1949 | 2,270,000 | IG Metall | |
| Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft | 2001 | 2,040,000 | ver.di | |
| IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie | 1997 | 660,000 | ||
| IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt | 1996 | 281,000 | IGBAU had 720,000 members in 1996. | |
 |
Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft | 1948 | 272,000 | |
| Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft | 2010 | 209,000 (2013) | Formerly known as Transnet. | |
 |
Gewerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten | 1949 | 206,000 (2008) | |
| Gewerkschaft der Polizei | 1959 | 175,000 | ||
 |
Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund | 1949 | 6,105,000 | The DGB is the primary trade union federation for Germany. |
Deutscher Beamtenbund
There are 39 trade unions under the Deutsche Beamte Bund (dbb) however German law continues to deny civil servants the right to strike.
| Name | Est. | Members | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Polizeigewerkschaft | 1951 | 94.000 | ||
| Komba Gewerkschaft | 1920 | 80.000 | ||
| Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer | 1867 | 34.000 | ||
| Deutscher Beamtenbund und Tarifunion | 1918 | 1,275,000 | The dbb is the German Civil Service Federation. |
Christlicher Gewerkschaftsbund
There are 14 unions affiliated to the German Christian Workers' Federation (Christlicher Gewerkschaftsbund).[2]
Non-affiliated unions
There are a number of other, non-affiliated unions with a total of between 200,000 and 300,000 members.[3]
- German Flight Attendants Union KabineKlar
- Free Workers' Union (Freie ArbeiterInnen-Union, FAU)
- Vereinigung Cockpit
- Hartmannbund
References
- ↑ http://www.dgb.de/uber-uns/dgb-heute/mitgliederzahlen/2010
- ↑ http://www.cgb.info/organisation/einzelgewerkschaften.html
- ↑ See H Dribusch and P Birke, Trade Unions in Germany: Organisation, Environment, Challenges (2012)