The Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (FDGB), was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer.
On paper the FDGB, a member of the World Federation of Trade Unions, was actually the umbrella organization for about 15 individual trade unions (e.g. IG Metall, IG Transport etc.), but in reality most members did not even realise that was the case. Only a handwritten note on the last page of the standard red membership booklet mentioned the individual trade union they belonged to.
Read more about Free German Trade Union Federation: Structure, Membership, Function, German Reunification
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