Trade Unions : Germany

The largest labor organization in the Federal Republic is the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB; German Trade Union Federation) with about nine million members in 15 unions (at the end of 1996). DGB unions are based on the industrial association principle: This means that they enroll workers and employees of an entire industrial, commercial or other economic sector (or even several sectors), regardless of the kind of work they do. Thus a chauffeur and a bookkeeper working in a printing plant, for instance, can both be members of the industrial union IG Medien (Media Union).

Apart from the DGB there are a number of other union organizations. The Deutsche Angestellten-Gewerk-schaft (DAG; German Salaried Employees Union) had approximately 501,000 members at the end of 1996. Its members are salaried staff from practically all sectors of the economy. The Deutscher Beamtenbund (DBB; German Civil Servants’ Federation), with about 1.1 million members, is the main organization of permanent civil servants which, on account of civil service law, is not involved in collective bargaining and cannot call members out on strike. Otherwise it has all the characteristics of a trade union and has considerable influence. There is also the Christlicher Gewerkschaftsbund Deutschlands (CGB; Christian Trade Union Federation of Germany), which with its affiliated unions numbers about 303,000 members.

The German trade unions are not connected with any particular party or church. No one can be forced to join a union. The closed shop system (which, according to agreements between employers and unions, allows only union members to be employed) is alien to Germany. The degree of unionization, i.e. the proportion of workers who are members of unions in certain industries, varies greatly but averages less than 50 percent. The unions maintain many colleges and training centers for their members.