Swiss Trade Union Federation
# Swiss Trade Union Federation

The Swiss Trade Union Federation (German: Schweizerischer Gewerkschaftsbund, SGB; French: Union syndicale suisse; Italian: Unione Sindicale Svizzera, USS) is the largest national trade union center in Switzerland.

## History

The federation was founded in 1880 and represents 361,000 members in its affiliated unions (2015).

The SGB has close ties with the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS). Ruth Dreifuss, the former President of the Confederation, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council, was previously an SGB official.

## Affiliates

### Current affiliates

The following unions are affiliated to the SGB:

| Union | Abbreviation | Founded | Membership (2017) |
| - | - | - | - |
| AvenirSocial | AvenirSocial | 2005 | 3,418 |
| Federal Staff Association | PVB | 1912 | 8,867 |
| Garanto | Garanto | 2001 | 3,316 |
| Kapers | Kapers | 1971 | 2,827 |
| Nautilus International | Nautilus | 2011 | 695 |
| New Wood | New Wood | 1998 | 17 |
| Swiss Bank Employees' Union | SBPV | 1918 | 7,919 |
| Swiss Musicians' Union | SMV | 1914 | 1,690 |
| Swiss Music Pedagogic Association | SMPV | 1893 | 3,341 |
| Swiss Union of Mass Media | SSM | 1974 | 3,000 |
| Swiss Union of Public Service Personnel | VPOD | 1905 | 34,252 |
| Syndicom | Syndicom | 2010 | 32,737 |
| Unia | Unia | 2004 | 200,236 |
| Union of Transport Workers | SEV | 1919 | 40,723 |

### Former affiliates

| Union | Abbreviation | Founded | Left | Reason not affiliated | Membership (1954) | Membership (2001) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Association of Swiss Air Traffic Control Personnel | VSFP | 1988 | 1999 | Merged into GEKO | N/A | N/A |
| Comedia | Comedia | 1998 | 2010 | Merged into Syndicom | N/A | 16,597 |
| Staff Association of the Embroidery Industry | | | 1944 | Merged into GTCP | N/A | N/A |
| Swiss Bookbinders' and Carton Makers' Union | SBKV | 1889 | 1980 | Merged into GDP | 4,465 | N/A |
| Swiss Choir and Ballet Union | | | | | N/A | N/A |
| Swiss Clothing and Leather Workers' Union | | 1891 | 1930 | Disaffiliated | N/A | N/A |
| Swiss Clothing, Leather and Equipment Workers' Union | VBLA | 1930 | 1992 | Merged into SMUV | 8,248 | N/A |
| Swiss Customs Employees' Union | VSZP | 1906 | 2001 | Merged into Garanto | 3,464 | N/A |
| Swiss Dental Technicians' Union | | 1918 | | | N/A | N/A |
| Swiss Hat and Cap Workers' Union | SHMV | 1904 | 1947 | Merged into VBLA | N/A | N/A |
| Swiss Lithographers' Union | SLB | 1888 | 1998 | Merged into Comedia | 3,059 | N/A |
| Swiss Metalworkers' and Watchmakers' Union | SMUV | 1915 | 2004 | Merged into Unia | 115,944 | 89,907 |
| Swiss Professional Association of Social Work | SBS | 1946 | 2005 | Merged into AvenirSocial | N/A | N/A |
| Swiss Textile Homeworkers' Union | | 1914 | 1948 | Merged into GTCP | N/A | N/A |
| Swiss Typographers' Union | STB | 1858 | 1980 | Merged into GDP | 10,560 | N/A |
| Swiss Union of Silk Bolting Cloth Mill Workers | SVSW | 1890 | 2008 | Dissolved | 596 | 256 |
| Union Movement for Labour and Justice | GEWAG | | 2005 | Dissolved | N/A | 521 |
| Union of Commerce, Transport and Food | VHTL | 1915 | 2004 | Merged into Unia | 39,750 | 16,329 |
| Union of Communication | GEKO | 1998 | 2010 | Merged into Syndicom | N/A | 38,375 |
| Union of Construction and Industry | GBI | 1993 | 2004 | Merged into Unia | N/A | 91,276 |
| Union of Construction and Wood | GBH | 1922 | 1993 | Merged into GBI | 71,813 | N/A |
| Union of Paper and Graphic Assistants of Switzerland | | 1903 | 1934 | | N/A | N/A |
| Union of Printing and Paper | GDP | 1980 | 1998 | Merged into Comedia | N/A | N/A |
| Union of Swiss Postal Employees | VSPB | 1893 | 1998 | Merged into GEKO | 5,501 | N/A |
| Union of Swiss Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Personnel | PTT-Union | 1891 | 1998 | Merged into GEKO | 16,191 | N/A |
| Union of Swiss Telegraph and Telephone Supervisors | VSTTB | 1874 | 1998 | Merged into GEKO | 2,528 | N/A |
| Union of Textiles, Chemicals and Paper | GTCP | 1908 | 1993 | Merged into GBI | 26,532 | N/A |

## Presidents

Since 1884, the SGB has had the following 27 presidents, one of which was a woman:

    1884: Ludwig Witt
    1886: Johann Kappes
    1886: Ludwig Witt
    1888: Albert Spiess
    1888: Georg Preiss
    1890: Rudolf Morf
    1891: Conrad Conzett
    1893: Eduard Hungerbühler
    1894: Eduard Keel
    1896: Lienhard Boksberger
    1898: Alois Kessler
    1900: Heinrich Schnetzler
    1902: Niklaus Bill
    1903: Karl Zingg
    1909: Emile Ryser
    1912: Oskar Schneeberger
    1934: Robert Bratschi
    1954: Arthur Steiner
    1958: Hermann Leuenberger
    1969: Ernst Wüthrich
    1973: Ezio Canonica
    1978: Richard Müller
    1982: Fritz Reimann
    1990: Walter Renschler
    1994: Christiane Brunner and Vasco Pedrina
    1998: Paul Rechsteiner
    2019: Pierre-Yves Maillard
