Metalworkers’ union halts decline in membership

The latest figures from the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) show that membership among its affiliated trade unions fell by 0.6% in 2011. Compared to previous years, this shows a marked slowdown in the decline. The most significant development was that the metalworkers’ union, IG Metall, DGB’s largest affiliate, finally managed to halt its decline and to record a small growth of 0.3%. Some affiliates have successfully recruited new members, including young workers.

Background

Latest figures from the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) show that membership of its affiliated trade unions fell by 0.6% in 2011. This was smaller than the 1.1% decline in 2010, and the 1.7% decline in 2009, showing a slowing of the steady decline in union membership in recent years. The German metalworkers’ union (IG Metall) managed for the first time in 22 years to stabilise its membership levels and to record a small growth of 0.3%. DGB’s second largest affiliate, the large United Services Union (ver.di), also reduced its membership losses from 2% in 2010 to 1.1% in 2011.

Main developments in DGB membership

Detailed figures show significant differences in the way the membership of a number of DGB affiliates has changed. As Table 1 shows, IG Metall remained the strongest affiliate with 2.2 million members. The small growth in its membership in 2011 is the combined result of favourable economic conditions within the sector, reflected in the growth in overall employment in the metalworking industry in 2011, and significant organising efforts by the union.

IG Mettall believes that a key factor in reversing the decline in its membership has been its success in establishing new works councils at companies where there had been no previous employee representation. It has also more than doubled its membership among temporary agency workers, a success largely attributed to union’s campaign for equal pay for these workers.

An ambitious internal restructuring programme at IG Metall is also bearing fruit for the first time. This has the dual aims of freeing up resources to stabilise its strongholds in metal manufacturing, and of reaching out to new emerging industries such as renewable energies.

The Confederation’s second largest union, ver.di, attributes its achievement in slowing membership decline the stability of its active membership in 2011, even though recruitment could not fully compensate for members’ retirement and job losses. The union has been particularly successful in the healthcare sector where it now has its strongest membership base, but is facing some difficulties in organising in new workplaces that provide private healthcare services.

The Mining, Chemicals and Energy Union (IG BCE) lost 0.5% of its members between 2010 and 2011, significantly lower than the 1.7% decline seen in 2010. The Trade Union for Building, Forestry, Agriculture and the Environment (IG BAU) faced a more difficult task in its attempts to stabilise its membership in construction, one of the sectors most profoundly affected by the economic downturn, and recorded a significant 2.8% loss of members, the second largest drop among DGB affiliates in 2011.

The Rail and Transport Union (EVG) recorded the largest losses despite its earlier significant membership growth following a merger with a smaller union in the industry (DE1012029I).

The Trade Union for Food, Beverages, Tobacco, Hotel and Catering and Allied Workers (NGG), saw its membership rise in 2010 but was not able to sustain that growth. However, despite the fragmented structure of its organising territory and the difficulty of organising in the type of small workplaces that characterise this sector, it did manage to maintain membership numbers.

Membership of the German Union of Education (GEW) and the German Police Union (GdP) continued to grow. For the GEW, this was its fourth consecutive year of membership growth. This success can be attributed, among other factors, to the union’s increasingly active approach to industrial relations in recent years, including its organisation of a increasing number of strikes. The GdP is now in its third year of membership growth even though, despite organising in a stable employment environment, it faces competition from other occupational unions.