Membership

According to the last reference date on December 31st 2001, the OeGB has got about 1,3 million members in one of the several trade unions of the OeGB.

How do I sign in?

Membership forms can be acquired either by phone at the individual trade union offices or directly at the OeGB headquarters. They can also easily be downloaded. These forms have to be filled in, signed and mailed to the trade union in charge.

How much do I pay?

The contributions of the members usually amount to 1% of their monthly gross income. Some unions have introduced maximum limits to contributions. But also the unemployed, students and pensioners can become or remain members for a reduced membership due.

What happens to my dues?

The activities of the Federation and its thirteen unions are almost exclusively financed by membership dues. Of course, members have the right to be informed about the use of their contributions. That's why the OeGB publishes a detailed annual report of its income and expenditure, a balance of services, as well as its membership statistics.

Who can become a member?

The Austrian Trade Union Federation is an all-embracing organisation of wage and salary earners (blue and white collar workers, public servants, apprentices or trainees) as well as to other occupational and professional groups (such as self-employed persons and free-lancers). In addition to that, membership is open to the unemployed, to the jobless who have not had a chance to enter the world of work and to young people and students who intend to take up.

Do I have to join a political faction?

The OeGB is above all parties, but not apolitical. The advantage is that a worker can declare his loyalty to the federation without having to repudiate his own ideological standpoint. On the other hand, it is not compulsory to establish a faction group or to become a member of such a group in a company, so no worker who joins a union in order to protect his interests is compelled to join a faction if he does not share its political ideological convictions.

What factions are there?

According to the faction statute, the following factions have been established in the OeGB:

• FSG   - Social Democratic Trade Unionists
• FCG   - Christian Trade Unionists
• GLB   - Trade Union "Left Block" (Communist Trade Unionists)
• UG    - Independent Trade Unionists
• PFG   - Non-partisan Trade Unionists
• FA    - Freedom Party Partnership

Load down your application form now: