The Union of Mining and Energy (german: IG Bergbau und Energie, IGBE) 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 ( ...

in West Germany which existed from 1946 until 1997.

History

In the early 20th-century, there were several miners' unions in Germany, the most important being the Union of Miners of Germany. All German unions were forcibly dissolved by the Nazis in 1933. The union was founded in 1946, covering only the

British Occupation Zone The British occupation zone in Germany (German: ''Britische Besatzungszone Deutschlands'') was one of the Allied-occupied areas in Germany after World War II. The United Kingdom along with her Commonwealth were one of the three major Allied pow ...

. From 1948, it began covering the mining industry in the whole of

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and adopted the name IG Bergbau. In 1960 the union added "and energy" to its name. In 1990, the East German Wismut Industrial Union, representing uranium miners, merged into IGBE. By 1996, the union had 335,317 members, but 49% of these were not active - either retired or unemployed. In 1997, the union merged with the IG Chemie-Papier-Keramik, and Gewerkschaft Leder, to form the

IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie The IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (IG BCE) is a trade union in Germany. It is one of eight industrial affiliations of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB). History and structure The IG BCE was created in 1997 from the merger of the Chem ...

Leadership

Presidents

:1946: August Schmidt :1953:

Heinrich Imig Heinrich Gottlieb Imig (24 February 1893 – 24 February 1956) was a German trade unionist and politician. Born in Essen, Imig worked as a coal miner from the age of 19. He joined the Social Democratic Party, and also the Alter Verband union ...

:1956:

Heinrich Gutermuth Heinrich Gutermuth (18 June 1898 – 28 June 1977) was a German trade union leader. Born in Ilbeshausen (near Grebenhain), Gutermuth completed an apprenticeship as a blacksmith, then served in World War I. After the war, he found work as a m ...

:1964:

Walter Arendt Walter Arendt (born 17 January 1925 in Heessen; died 7 March 2005 in Bornheim) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various ...

:1969:

Adolf Schmidt Adolf Schmidt (18 April 1925 – 26 November 2013) was a German trade union leader and politician. Born in , Homberg, Schmidt became a mechanic at a coal mine, then in 1942 was drafted into the navy as a submarine mechanic. He was taken a ...

:1985:

Heinz-Werner Meyer Heinz-Werner Meyer (24 August 1932 – 9 May 1994) was a German trade union leader and politician. Born in the Harburg area of Hamburg, Meyer became a coal miner, while attending night school. He joined the Union of Mining and Energy (IG BE) ...

:1990: Hans Berger

Vice presidents

:1946: Willy Agatz :1948:

:1953:

:1956: Fritz Dahlmann :1964:

Heinz Oskar Vetter Heinz Oskar Vetter (21 October 1917 – 18 October 1990) was a German trade union leader and politician. Born in Bochum, Vetter completed an apprenticeship as a locksmith, before becoming a machinist at a coal mine. He served in the Luftwaff ...

:1969: Karl van Bark :1971: Helmut Gelhorn :1978: Hans Alker :1984:

:1985: Walter Beer :1988: Hans Berger :1990: Klaus Südhofer

References

{{Authority control Trade unions established in 1946 Trade unions disestablished in 1997 German Trade Union Confederation Energy industry trade unions Mining trade unions 1997 disestablishments in Germany 1946 establishments in Germany