Union of Mining and Energy

The Union of Mining and Energy ({{langx|de|IG Bergbau und Energie}}, IGBE) was a trade union 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.{{cite web |title=Verband Deutscher Bergbauindustriearbeiter |url=https://portal.ehri-project.eu/units/de-002429-ry_28 |website=EHRI |access-date=15 November 2019}}

The union was founded in 1946, covering only the British Occupation Zone. From 1948, it began covering the mining industry in the whole of West Germany and adopted the name IG Bergbau. In 1960 the union added "and energy" to its name.{{cite book |last1=Bresser |first1=Klaus |last2=Thüer |first2=Christoph |title=Recklinghausen im Industriezeitalter |date=2000 |publisher=Bitter |isbn=3933480094 |page=462}}

In 1990, the East German Wismut Industrial Union, representing uranium miners, merged into IGBE.{{cite web |title=IG Mining - IG Mining Energy - IG Mining Energy Water Management (1946-90) |url=http://library.fes.de/FDGB-Lexikon/texte/sachteil/i/IG_Bergbau_-_IG_Bergbau-Energie_-_IG_Bergbau-Energie-Wasserwirtschaft_%281946-90%29.html |website=FDGB Lexicon |access-date=16 October 2019}} By 1996, the union had 335,317 members, but 49% of these were not active - either retired or unemployed.{{cite book |last1=Ebbinghaus |first1=Bernhard |last2=Visser |first2=Jelle |title=Trade Unions in Western Europe Since 1945 |date=2000 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=Basingstoke |isbn=0333771125 |page=310}} In 1997, the union merged with the IG Chemie-Papier-Keramik, and Gewerkschaft Leder, to form the IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie.