GEW (trade union)

GEW (trade union)
Name	Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft
Abbr	GEW
Native name	Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft
Founded	1947
Headquarters	Frankfurt am Main
Country	Germany
Members	ca. 280,000 (2020s)
Key people	Heinz-Peter Meidinger; Marlis Tepe; Ernst Eger; Marlis Tepe
Affiliation	Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund

GEW (trade union) is a German trade union representing professionals in primary, secondary, vocational, and higher education sectors including teachers, academic staff, and social pedagogues. The union engages with labor relations, collective bargaining, educational policy, and professional development, interacting with national institutions and European bodies. GEW participates in negotiations with state ministries, cooperates with political parties and employer associations, and engages in campaigns alongside unions, universities, and teacher associations.

History

GEW was founded in 1947 amid post-World War II reconstruction, emerging from associations active during the Weimar Republic and zones of occupation such as the British and American zones. Its development intersected with institutions like the Bundestag, the Konrad Adenauer era of federal policy, and the evolution of the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB). During the Cold War GEW operated alongside organizations influenced by the Social Democratic Party of Germany and later coordinated with the Free Democratic Party and elements of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in educational debates. Reunification of Germany in 1990 required GEW to integrate membership and structures from the German Democratic Republic and to respond to reforms enacted by state ministries such as the Ministry of Education of Lower Saxony and the Ministry of Education of North Rhine-Westphalia. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s GEW engaged with EU-level initiatives from the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and UNESCO-related programs, while responding to reforms influenced by the Bologna Process, the Lisbon Strategy, and debates in the Bundesverfassungsgericht.

Organization and Structure

GEW is structured through federal, state (Landesverbände), and local branches with an executive board, regional chairs, and specialist committees. It coordinates across institutions including universities like the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the University of Cologne as well as vocational schools represented in chambers such as the IHK in regional dialogues. Governance involves interactions with bodies like the Deutscher Lehrerverband and cross-sector coalitions with unions including ver.di, IG Metall, and Gewerkschaft der Polizei for joint actions. The union holds congresses where delegates from Länder such as Bavaria, Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia elect leadership and set policy, and where legal advisers coordinate with courts including the European Court of Human Rights on employment litigation.

Membership and Representation

Members include classroom teachers from elementary schools like those in Hamburg and Berlin, secondary teachers in regions including Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia, pedagogical staff in institutions such as the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, and academic employees at institutions like the Technical University of Munich. GEW represents trainees and student teachers associated with universities such as the University of Hamburg and research staff connected to institutes in the Max Planck Society and the Helmholtz Association. It recruits among professionals affiliated with professional bodies like the German Association for Educational Science and collaborates with associations such as the Association of German Engineers for interdisciplinary vocational training concerns.

Collective Bargaining and Activities

GEW engages in collective bargaining with state employers, municipal authorities, and institutions including the Verwaltungsgericht-level contacts and negotiating partners like the Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder and local authorities in cities such as Frankfurt am Main and Munich. Bargaining outcomes affect pay scales tied to the Tarifvertrag für den Öffentlichen Dienst der Länder and conditions for academic staff under statutes influenced by the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz. GEW organizes strikes, demonstrations, and mobilizations in coordination with unions such as ver.di and labor coalitions connected to events like the annual Tag der Arbeit. The union has mounted campaigns addressing workload, class sizes, and staffing in partnership with parent associations and municipal councils in places like Dortmund and Stuttgart.

Political Positions and Advocacy

GEW advocates for policies on teacher recruitment, inclusion, and funding through dialogue with the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, the Kultusministerkonferenz, and state parliaments such as the Bavarian Landtag. It has taken positions on curricular reforms related to the Bologna Process, on higher education funding issues debated in the Deutscher Bundestag, and on social policy measures connected to actors like the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft and Stiftung Mercator. GEW has collaborated with political parties including the Die Linke and the Alliance 90/The Greens on progressive education reforms, while also confronting proposals from representatives of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany concerning school organization and staffing.

Publications and Training

GEW publishes journals, position papers, and training materials produced by editorial teams and collaborating academics from institutions like the Free University of Berlin, the University of Münster, and the University of Leipzig. It runs professional development programs and workshops for members in cooperation with educational research centers such as the Deutsches Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung and networks linked to the European Trade Union Committee for Education. Training covers collective bargaining skills, legal seminars referencing rulings from the Bundesarbeitsgericht, and pedagogical courses developed with partners including the Deutscher Philologenverband and the GEW Fachgruppen.

Notable Events and Controversies

GEW has been involved in high-profile strikes and legal disputes over teacher pay and working conditions that garnered attention from media outlets such as Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Controversies included debates over teacher evaluations in states like Hesse and disputes over university staffing tied to the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz that reached courts including the Bundesverfassungsgericht. Internal debates over political endorsements and coalition strategies have led to public disagreements involving figures from the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Green Party (Germany). Internationally, GEW's positions on refugee education and migration policy elicited responses from organizations like UNHCR and NGOs such as Amnesty International.

Category:Trade unions in Germany Category:Education trade unions Category:Organizations established in 1947