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ver.di
Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft - ver.di

Founded	19 March 2001
Headquarters	Berlin, Germany
Location	Germany
Members	1.9 million
Key people	Frank Werneke, president
Website	www.verdi.de

Verdi's main office building in Berlin-Mitte.

Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (often called Verdi, which stands for United Services Trade Union) is a large trade union in Germany. Its main office is in Berlin. Verdi was created on March 19, 2001, when five different unions joined together. It is part of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB).

With about 1.9 million members, Verdi is the second biggest trade union in Germany, right after IG Metall. It has around 3,000 staff members across Germany. Verdi gets about 454 million Euros each year from its members' fees. The union is split into 10 areas across Germany and has five main sections. A group called the National Executive Board, with nine members, runs the union. Frank Bsirske was the leader of Verdi from 2001 until September 2019, when Frank Werneke took over.

How Verdi Started
How Verdi is Organized
What Verdi Does
Presidents
Images for kids
See also

How Verdi Started

Verdi was formed in March 2001 when five separate unions decided to merge. Most of these unions were already part of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). The unions that joined were:

German Salaried Employees' Union (DAG)
German Postal Union (DPG)
Trade, Banking and Insurance Union (HBV)
Media Union (IG Medien)
Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union (ÖTV)

The oldest part of Verdi was a group for German printers, which started way back in 1866.

In the 1990s, different German trade unions started talking about working more closely. On October 4, 1997, the leaders of several unions signed an agreement called the "Hamburg Declaration." They wanted to create a new, stronger way for unions to represent workers in the service sector. This led to a special committee being set up to plan how the new big union would work.

After some discussions, the leaders of the five unions (DAG, DPG, HBV, IG Medien, and ÖTV) agreed to merge in June 1999 in Magdeburg. Later that year, they opened a shared office in Berlin. In November 1999, delegates from the five unions voted to create a temporary organization for Verdi.

Many people saw this merger as a big step forward. They believed it would stop unions from competing with each other in the service sector. Some people worried that Verdi would become too big.

In November 2000, delegates from the DAG, DPG, HBV, and IG Medien voted strongly to create Verdi. The ÖTV union also voted yes, but with a smaller majority. The final step happened between March 16 and 18, 2001, when the five unions officially dissolved themselves. Then, from March 19 to 21, 2001, the founding congress of Verdi took place. This is when the union was officially created, and its first leaders were chosen.

Soon after, Verdi signed its first big agreement with Deutsche Lufthansa. It was also officially accepted into the DGB.

How Verdi is Organized

Verdi has a special way of organizing itself to make sure everyone's voice is heard.

Main Leadership Groups

Verdi's highest decision-making group is its National Congress (Bundeskongress). This meeting happens every four years. It sets the main rules for the union and chooses the National Executive Board and the Trade Union Council.

Between these big meetings, the Trade Union Council is the top group. It has members from different parts of the union, like state areas, divisions, and groups for women, young people, and older members. The council checks that Verdi's rules are followed and looks at the union's money.

The National Executive Board runs Verdi's daily business. It represents the union both inside and outside. The board includes a chairman, managers for each division, and other members. Currently, there are nine members on the board.

Local and State Areas

Verdi has smaller groups at the local level to help members work together. These local groups are part of bigger districts across Germany. These districts then report to the federal state districts. Verdi has ten federal state districts:

Baden-Württemberg
Bavaria
Berlin-Brandenburg
Hamburg
Hesse
Lower Saxony / Bremen
North (Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania)
North Rhine-Westphalia
Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland
Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia

Divisions and Special Groups

Verdi's divisions are based on different industries and types of jobs. They focus on the specific needs of members in those areas. Each division has its own rules, which the Trade Union Council must approve. Verdi currently has five main divisions:

A: Financial Services, Communications and Technology, Culture, Utilities and Disposal
B: Public and Private Services, Social Insurance and Traffic
C: Health, Social Services, Education and Science
D: Trade
E: Postal Services, Shipping Companies and Logistics

Within these divisions, there are also special groups for specific jobs or interests.

Verdi also has "groups of individuals" for different types of members. These groups exist at local, state, and national levels. Some examples include:

Young People
Senior Citizens
Workers
Civil Servants
Unemployed Individuals

Membership Numbers

From 2001 to 2014, Verdi's total number of members went down from 2.81 million to 2.04 million. One reason for this was competition from other unions, like the doctors' union Marburger Bund. Verdi has worked hard to get new members and keep them. In 2015, Verdi announced that the number of members was no longer shrinking in the eastern parts of Germany. Today, Verdi represents about 200,000 employees in state and public banks alone.

Since 2008, Verdi has had an online network just for its members. Here, members can find information, use online services, and talk to each other in forums. In 2012, a special platform was added for active members to discuss things in private groups.

What Verdi Does

Verdi works to improve working conditions and pay for employees.

Helping with Pay and Conditions

Verdi uses collective agreements to set fair working conditions for employees. These agreements are like contracts between the union and employers. Verdi believes that having one strong agreement for many workers helps them get better deals.

Verdi also strongly supports the right to strike. It has said it will fight against any laws that try to limit this right. A big goal for Verdi is to make sure men and women are treated equally at work. It also works to make wages and pensions the same across all parts of Germany.

Verdi is well-known for its strikes and negotiations in public services. For example, in 2006, Verdi members went on strike for three months before agreeing to a new deal for public service workers. In 2008, after more strikes, Verdi reached an agreement with the German government that increased wages by eight percent. This was a big win for the union. Verdi gained 50,000 new members during that time. In 2018, they had another successful negotiation, getting a 7.5 percent pay raise over 30 months for public sector workers.

In 2015, Verdi held strikes at Deutsche Post because of disagreements over pay. These strikes cost the company a lot of money. More recently, in 2023, Verdi organized a strike for security staff at major German airports like Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, which stopped flights for a day.

Education and Training

Verdi's educational center "Clara Sahlberg" in Berlin-Wannsee.

Verdi runs several educational centers across Germany. These centers help members share their experiences and learn new skills. They offer training for people who are active in the union, like members of works councils. The centers also offer general education programs on many different topics. Verdi has centers in places like Berlin, Bielefeld, and Gladenbach.

Verdi also has a special educational organization called ver.di Bildung + Beratung (ver.di b+b). This group runs seminars for different employee groups, like works councils and Youth and Trainees Councils. Ver.di b+b also publishes guidebooks and legal commentaries. Its main office is in Düsseldorf, and it has 25 locations across Germany.

International Connections

Verdi is part of many international union groups. These include the UNI Global Union, the International Transport Workers' Federation, and the Public Services International. Being part of these groups helps Verdi work with unions from other countries on global issues. It is also a member of the European Movement Germany (EBD).

Presidents

2001: Frank Bsirske
2019: Frank Werneke

Images for kids

Verdi's logo.