Trade Unions and Representatives | HEUSER RECHT UND STEUERN
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Trade Unions
Trade Unions have a long tradition.
Today more than 6 million workers and
employees in Germany are organized
members of a trade union. The eight
biggest unions have structured in the
umbrella organization DGB, Deutscher
Gewerkschaftsbund (Federation of
German Trade Unions) and actually
cover all sectors of German industry.
There are, furthermore, other umbrella
organizations as the DBB (Civil Servants
Association) and the CGB (Federation
of Christian Trade Unions) as well as
smaller unions in the sectors of health
care, aviation and chemical industry.
Employers’
Associations
In the same manner as Trade Unions
represent workers and employees,
there are also Employers’ Associations,
which act as the employers’ voice and
represent their interests. Individual
Unions represent particular regions
and branches and normally federate
in national umbrella organizations. In
Germany, this cross-sector organization
is the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen
Arbeitgeberverbände, BDA (Federal Society
of the German Employers’ Associations),
which represents 48 different federal
professional associations and 14 regional
associations (Landesverbände).