Central Union of Employees

The Central Union of Employees (German: Zentralverband der Angestellten, ZdA) was a trade union representing white collar, private sector workers in Germany.

Central Union of Employees
Native nameZentralverband der Angestellten
Founded9 September 1919 (1919-09-09)
PredecessorCentral Union of Commercial Employees
Union of Office Employees of Germany
Union of Insurance Workers
SuccessorTrade, Banking and Insurance Union
Date dissolved2 May 1933 (1933-05-02)
Members363,521 (1920)
JournalDer freie Angestellte
AffiliationADGB, AfA-Bund, ADB, FIET
Office locationWilhelm-Heinrich-Straße 17, Saarbrücken
CountryGermany

The union was founded on 9 September 1919 at a conference in Weimar, when the Central Union of Commercial Employees merged with the Union of Office Employees of Germany, and the Union of Insurance Workers. It affiliated to the General German Trade Union Confederation (ADGB), and by 1920 had 363,521 members. On 29 May 1921, the Workers' Union of the Book and Newspaper Industry also joined the ZdA, while the German Union of Lawyers and Notaries joined in 1922.[1][2][3]

In 1921, the ZdA became a founding constituent of the General Federation of Free Employees, leaving the AGDB, but remaining aligned with it through the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). In the same year, it was a founding affiliate of the International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees (FIET), and its joint leader became the first leader of FIET.[4] The union published Der freie Angestellte, initially edited by Paul Lange, and from 1930 by Georg Ucko.[3][5]

In its early years, the union was divided between the leadership, generally SPD supporters, and the "Berlin Opposition", an alliance of Communist Party of Germany and Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany supporters.[5]

The union was banned by the Nazi government in 1933.[5] After World War II, the sector was covered by the Trade, Banking and Insurance Union and the German Salaried Employees' Union.[6]

Presidents
1919: Karl Giebel and Otto Urban
1927: Otto Urban

References
  1. "Angestelltengewerkschaften in Deutschland vor 1933" (PDF). Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  2. "Zentralverband der Angestellten". EHRI. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. Urban, Otto (1931). Zentralverband der Angestellten. ADGB. p. 2101–2106. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. "Urban, Otto (1877-1947)". Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. "Ucko, Georg (1880 - 1945)". Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  6. "Gewerkschaft Handel, Banken und Versicherungen (HBV)". Ver.di. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
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