Syndicats chrétiens

Christian trade-unions, which were created as an alternative to socialist trade-unions, have been working in favour of employee rights since the end of the 19th century. The major part of those Catholic organisations was mostly present within the Catholic working-class, although there were also some Protestant trade-unions. Suppressed by the Nazis or forced to work for the unique national socialist German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront), Christian trade-unions reformed after the creation of the RFA in 1949. In the RDA, independent trade-unions were not accepted. Their confederation (Christlicher Gewerkschaftsbund Deutschlands, CGD) is currently composed of 16 trade-unions and has around 300 000 members.