General German Civil Service Federation

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The General German Civil Service Federation (German : Allgemeiner Deutscher Beamtenbund, ADB) was a trade union representing civil servants in Germany.

In 1922, the German Civil Service Federation (DBB) opposed a strike by railway workers. In protest, the federation's more left-wing affiliates left and on 8 June founded the "General German Civil Service Federation". The new federation soon negotiated a partnership agreement with the General German Trade Union Federation, and the AfA-Bund. It also worked closely with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), but because some SPD supporters remained part of the DBB, the SPD only recognised the new federation in 1930. [1]

The federation was led by Albert Falkenberg and published the journal Mitteilungsblatt der Gewerkschaflichen Beamtenzentrale. From 1925, it was affiliated to the International Federation of Civil Servants. [1]

Membership of the federation was initially 350,000 but, due to reductions of the size of the German civil service, by 1932, it was down to 171,000. Once a Nazi government was elected, the federation anticipated that it would be banned, and so pre-empted this by dissolving, on 6 April 1933. [2]

As of 1928, the following unions were affiliated to the ADB, some only in respect of part of their membership: [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Falkenburg, Albert (1931). Allgemeiner Deutscher Beamtenbund (ADB). ADGB. pp. 19–23. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  2. Potthoff, Heinrich (1987). Freie Gewerkschaften 1918-1933. Droste.