The German Postal Union (, DPG) was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing postal workers in Germany. The union was founded at a conference held on 29 and 30 June 1949, in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. It initially had 140,000 members, the vast majority working for the

Deutsche Bundespost The (, ) was a German state-run postal service and telecommunications business founded in 1947. It was initially the second largest federal employer during its time. After staff reductions in the 1980s, the staff was reduced to roughly 543,20 ...

. In October 1949, the union became a founder member of the

German Trade Union Confederation The German Trade Union Confederation (; 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 (31 December 2011). It was founded ...

. In March 1990, the a German Postal Union East was founded, to cover

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, then in November this merged into the main union, with about 100,000 workers for the

Deutsche Post of the GDR The Deutsche Post (, , abbr. DP ), also Deutsche Post of the GDR (, ) was the state-owned postal and telecommunications monopoly of the German Democratic Republic (GDR - East Germany). The DP was placed under the control of the Ministry of Post ...

joining. By 1998, the union had 474,094 members. Between 1989 and 1994, the Deutsche Bundespost was privatised, against the objections of the DPG. In 2001, the union merged with the

German Salaried Employees' Union The German Salaried Employees' Union, in German ''Deutsche Angestellten-Gewerkschaft'' (DAG) was an independent trade union based in Hamburg. It did not belong to the German Confederation of Trade Unions until it became part of ver.di, the unite ...

Media Union The Media Union () was a trade union representing German workers in the printing, paper, journalism and The arts, arts. The union was founded on 15 April 1989 at a meeting in Hamburg, with the merger of the Printing and Paper Union (Germany), Pri ...

, the

Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union The Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union (, ÖTV) was a trade union representing transport and public service workers in West Germany. The union was founded in 1949, at a meeting in Stuttgart. Unlike the pre-war General Union of Public S ...

, and the

Trade, Banking and Insurance Union The Trade, Banking and Insurance Union (, HBV) was a trade union representing workers in commerce and finance in Germany. During 1947 and 1948, German trade unionists were regrouping and the majority decided to establish the German Trade Union Co ...

, to form

Ver.di (''Verdi'' (stylized as ''ver.di''; �vɛʁdiː; English: ''United Services Trade Union'') is a German trade union based in Berlin, Germany. It was established on 19 March 2001 as the result of a merger of five individual unions and is a m ...

Presidents

:1950:

Carl Stenger Carl Stenger (26 November 1905 – 29 June 1982) was a German people, German politician and trade union leader. Stenger grew up in Frankfurt and, at the age of fifteen, became a locksmith, and joined the German Metal Workers' Union. In 1924, ...

:1971:

Ernst Breit Ernst Breit (20 August 1924 – 22 February 2013) was a German trade union leader. Born in Rickelshof, Breit joined the Reichspost as a trainee inspector in 1941, but the following year was conscripted into the army. He later became a priso ...

:1982:

Kurt van Haaren Kurt van Haaren (19 July 1938 – 13 July 2005) was a German trade union leader. Born in Emmerich, van Haaren attended the Dortmund Social Academy, then began working for the Deutsche Bundespost, delivering mail. He joined the German Postal ...

References

{{Authority control Postal trade unions Trade unions established in 1949 Trade unions disestablished in 2001 Trade unions in Germany