The Union of Printing and Paper (german: Gewerkschaft Druck und Papier, GDP; french: Syndicat du livre et du papier) 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 ...
representing most printing industry workers in Switzerland.
The union was founded in 1980, when the
Swiss Typographers' Union merged with the
Swiss Bookbinders' and Carton Makers' Union. Like both its predecessors, it affiliated to the
Swiss Trade Union Federation.
The union was led by president Erwin Gerster, and in 1981 he faced competition for re-election from the president of the union's Zurich branch. During the count, the Zurich candidate was suspected of electoral fraud, and a criminal investigation led the union to announce that the election would be re-run. However, before it could do so, the Zurich candidate withdrew, and Gerster remained in office until 1989.
The 1980s was a difficult time for the union, which found itself in a weakening position with regard to both employers and unskilled workers in the industry.
By 1995, it had 13,876 members.
With professional boundaries in the industry less important, in 1998 it merged with the
Swiss Lithographers' Union, the Employees' Union of the Swiss Book Trade, and the Swiss Union of Journalists, to form
Comedia.
[{{cite web , title=Gewerkschaft Druck und Papier (GDP) / Syndicat du livre et du papier / Sindacato del libro e della carta , url=https://www.findmittel.ch/Archive/archNeu/Ar410.html , website=Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv , access-date=4 December 2020]
Central Presidents
:1980: Erwin Gerster
:1989: Christian Tirefort
References
Printing trade unions
Trade unions in Switzerland
Trade unions established in 1980
Trade unions disestablished in 1998