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German Trade Union Confederation facts for kids

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DGB
Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
DGB-Logo.svg
Predecessor General German Trade Union Federation
Founded 12 October 1949
Headquarters Berlin, Germany
Location
  • Germany
Members
 6.0 million
Key people
 Yasmin Fahimi (SPD), president
Website www.dgb.de

The German Trade Union Confederation (known as DGB) is a large group of eight German trade unions. Think of it like a big team that helps different worker groups.

In total, the DGB represents over 6 million people in Germany. It was started in Munich on October 12, 1949.

The DGB helps its member unions work together. It talks with the government, political parties, and companies on behalf of its members. However, the DGB itself does not directly make deals about pay or working conditions. That's usually done by the individual unions.

The DGB has leaders elected from different areas. These leaders meet regularly to decide on important policies. There's also a special group for young people called DGB-Jugend.

The main office of the DGB is in Berlin. It is also part of bigger international groups like the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

History of the DGB

Early Beginnings (Before 1933)

The very first German union group was formed on March 14, 1892. It was called the Generalkommission der Gewerkschaften Deutschlands. This group represented about 300,000 workers.

After World War I, unions had to start fresh. A new big union group, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (ADGB), was created in 1919. It had over 3 million members and is seen as an early version of today's DGB.

Sadly, on May 2, 1933, all trade unions in Germany were shut down by the Nazis.

Rebuilding After World War II (1946–1949)

After World War II, German unions had to rebuild again. Different unions started forming in various parts of Germany.

In 1946, the Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (FDGB) was founded in Berlin. This was in the part of Germany controlled by the Soviet Union.

In 1947, another group called the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB was formed in Bielefeld. This was in the areas controlled by the Western Allies.

By October 1949, seven of these union groups in West Germany joined together. They formed the West German DGB, which included 16 different unions. At that time, nearly 5 million people were members of these unions.

Reunification and Today

In 1990, after Germany became one country again, unions from East Germany joined the DGB. Over the years, many DGB member unions have merged. This means there are now only 8 main unions under the DGB.

Some people think these mergers make the unions stronger. Others worry that very large unions might make the DGB less important as a main organization.

Since 1990, the power of German trade unions has changed. They have worked hard to get a minimum wage for workers in Germany. This is a basic amount of money workers must be paid per hour.

Who are the Members?

The DGB is made up of eight large unions. These unions represent workers from many different jobs. For example, there are unions for construction workers, teachers, police, and metalworkers.

In 2017, the DGB had nearly 6 million members in total. About one-third of these members were women, and two-thirds were men.

Current Member Unions

  • IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG BAU): For workers in construction, agriculture, and environment.
  • IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (IG BCE): For workers in mining, chemicals, and energy.
  • Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW): For teachers and scientists.
  • IG Metall (IGM): For metalworkers, the largest union.
  • Gewerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten (NGG): For workers in food, drinks, and restaurants.
  • Gewerkschaft der Polizei (GdP): For police officers.
  • Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft (EVG): For railway workers.
  • Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (ver.di): A very large union for service workers, like those in public services, trade, and banking.

Past Member Unions

Many unions have merged over time to form the current eight. For example, several unions joined to create ver.di, which is now one of the biggest.

Presidents of the DGB

The DGB has had several presidents since it was founded. Here are some of them:

  • 1949: Hans Böckler
  • 1951: Christian Fette
  • 1952: Walter Freitag
  • 1956: Willi Richter
  • 1962: Ludwig Rosenberg
  • 1969: Heinz Oskar Vetter
  • 1982: Ernst Breit
  • 1990: Heinz-Werner Meyer
  • 1994: Dieter Schulte
  • 2002: Michael Sommer
  • 2014: Reiner Hoffmann [de]
  • 2022: Yasmin Fahimi

How the DGB is Organized

The DGB is organized into different levels to help workers across Germany.

Districts and Regions

The DGB has 9 main districts, and these districts are divided into 66 smaller regions. This helps the DGB stay connected with workers all over the country.

Some of the districts include:

See also

  • List of labor unions
  • Hans Böckler - the first president of the DGB

Images for kids

  • Wzwz statistik DGB

    This chart shows the DGB's membership structure in 2017.

  • Kids robot

    Learn more about the German Trade Union Confederation for kids in Spanish!

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