Union of Healthcare

The Union of Healthcare (Gewerkschaft Gesundheitswesen) was a trade union representing healthcare workers in East Germany.

The first Union of Healthcare was formed in 1949, when the Free German Trade Union Federation decided to split healthcare workers out of the Industrial Union of Public Companies and Administration. In addition to industrial activities, the union became involved in sports associations, their names starting with "SV Medizin".

In 1958, the union was merged into the Union of Government Administration, Healthcare and Finance (Sta-Ge-Fi), but this proved unsuccessful, and in 1961, the Union of Healthcare was re-established. By 1964, it had 250,000 members, and by 1989, this had grown to 648,144.

The union became independent in January 1990, and renamed itself as the Union of Health and Social Care. Its new president, Siegmar Treibmann, argued that it should merge into the German Salaried Employees' Union, but the majority of the union voted instead to join the Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union (ÖTV). Treibmann resigned, and the union dissolved itself in October, recommending that members transferred to the ÖTV.

Presidents

 * 1949: Hugo Gräf
 * 1951: Gertrud Grothe
 * 1954: Eva Gatzek
 * 1955: Robert Ganse
 * 1958: Part of Sta-Ge-Fi
 * 1961: Robert Hans-Georg Großmann
 * 1968: Elfriede Schneeweiß
 * 1990: Siegmar Treibmann
 * 1990: Richard Klatt