The Building and Construction Union (german: IG Bau-Steine-Erden, IG BSE) was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

representing building workers in West Germany. Construction workers in Germany were organised in the German Union of Building Trades until 1933, when it was banned by the Nazis. A new union was founded in October 1949, at a conference in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the German States of Germany, state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital o ...

. It was the last of the sixteen affiliates of the

German Trade Union Confederation The German Trade Union Confederation (german: Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund; DGB) is an umbrella organisation (sometimes known as a national trade union center) for eight German trade unions, in total representing more than 6 million people ...

(DGB) to be established, because of difference of opinion between the communist-influenced construction union in the British occupation zone, members of the South Baden and Bavarian union who would have preferred to remain independent, and restrictions on unions in the French occupation zone. All the initial executive members of the union had been prominent trade unionists in

Weimar Germany The German Reich, commonly referred to as the Weimar Republic,, was a historical period of Germany from 9 November 1918 to 23 March 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in his ...

, and as a result they had the highest average age of executive members of any DGB affiliate. The union established the Beneficial Vacation Fund for the Construction Sector, and membership grew through the post-war need for reconstruction, although there were some downward pressures on wages from exiles from East Germany moving to the West. The union became more active under Georg Leber's leadership, from 1957, although he controversially argued that wage increases should be linked to productivity growth. However, he did negotiate additional increases for the lowest-paid workers. He also argued for an Advantage Equalisation Fund, whereby non-unionised construction workers would pay for training, scholarships and rest facilities, to benefit everyone in the industry. This was widely opposed and the policy was soon abandoned. Under the leadership of Rudolf Sperner, from 1966, the union was less prominent, but despite several recessions, it increased its membership to a record peak in 1981. It absorbed the East German Building, Construction and Wood Union in 1990, and by 1995, it had 639,851 members. At the start of 1996, it merged with the

Horticulture, Agriculture and Forestry Union The Horticulture, Agriculture and Forestry Union (german: Gewerkschaft Gartenbau, Land- und Forstwirtschaft, GGLF) was a West German trade union representing agricultural and forestry workers. The union was founded in July 1949, and was a foundi ...

, to form

IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt The IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG BAU) is a trade union in Germany with a membership of 350,000 (as per end of 2007). It is the fourth largest of eight industrial affiliates of the DGB (German Confederation of Trade Unions). IG BAU is active in the s ...

Presidents

:1949: Jakob Knöss :1957: Georg Leber :1966: Rudolf Sperner :1982: Konrad Carl :1991:

Bruno Köbele Bruno Köbele (born 10 August 1934) is a former German trade unionist. Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Köbele worked as a bricklayer. He joined the Building and Construction Union (IG BSE) in 1950, and joined the Social Democratic Party of Germa ...

:1995: Klaus Wiesehügel

References

{{Authority control Building and construction trade unions German Trade Union Confederation Trade unions established in 1949 Trade unions disestablished in 1996