DGB: The German Labour Movement

DGB: The German Labour Movement

Up to the present, no generally accepted definition of what trade unions are and what their duties maybe exists. Moreover, it is not the purpose of this presentation to develop a further concept in this direction. Generally speaking, trade unions are understood to be organizations which represent the economic, social and cultural interests of their members, but also the employees as a whole with regard to the employers and before the public. The trade unions endeavor to improve constantly on a democratic basis, the economic and social position of their members and other employed persons, and to achieve their full social and economic emancipation.

Thus far, there has been no comprehensive outline of the history of the German trade union movement. Furthermore, this brochure cannot be regarded as a replacement for such necessary work. The purpose of this publication simply is to give those interested a first concise review of trade union history.

Dieter Schuster

German Federation of Trade Unions

1973

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