The Trade, Banking and Insurance Union (, HBV) was a trade union representing workers in commerce and finance in Germany.

During 1947 and 1948, German trade unionists were regrouping and the majority decided to establish the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), with national affiliated industrial unions - unions covering the entirety of one or more industries. Leading figures in commerce and finance trade unionism disagreed with this approach, and formed the German Salaried Employees' Union (DAG), wishing to organise salaried workers across all industries and public sectors. The DAG did not join the DGB, and so leading figures in the DGB decided to form a rival union, restricted to the commerce and finance sectors.

Trade, Banking and Insurance Union

The union was established on 3 and 4 September 1949, at a conference in Königswinter. Initially small, by 1959 it had 130,000 members, and continued to grow, with strong representation among retail workers and bank branch staff, but little influence in other areas of finance. Growth continued, with a particular spurt following the Reunification of Germany, but then tailed off. By the end of 1999, it had 457,720 members.

Trade, Banking and Insurance Union

In 2001, the union merged with the DAG, the German Postal Union, the Media Union, and the Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union, to form Ver.di.

Trade, Banking and Insurance Union

Presidents

1949: Wilhelm Pawlik

1961: Werner Ziemann

1965: Heinz Vietheer

1980: Günter Volkmar

1988: Lorenz Schwegler

1993: Margret Mönig-Raane

References

Finance sector trade unions

Retail trade unions

Transport trade unions in Germany

Trade unions established in 1949

Trade unions disestablished in 2001

Trade unions in Germany