The eight trade unions that are members of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) saw their numbers decline by 2% in 2021 to 5.7 million members, the umbrella organisation revealed in its annual press conference on Wednesday 9 January. Reiner Hoffmann, the DGB’s president, says this erosion of trade union membership is largely due to the impact of the pandemic, but also the result of structural factors.
With 45,000 fewer members of IG Metall, Germany’s largest union with 2.17 million members, 45,000 fewer at services union Verdi, the second-largest in the country with 1.9 million members, and 25,000 fewer at chemicals union IG BCE, the country’s third-largest, all the major DGB member unions saw their membership base shrink in 2021. In total, the membership of the DGB unions fell by almost 2% last year, president Reiner Hoffmann explained, noting however positive developments at the rail union (EVG) and the police union (GdP).
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