DOCSLIB.ORG

Trade Unions in the Balance ILO ACTRAV Working Paper by Jelle Visser Copyright © International Labour Organization 2019 First Published 2019

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Trade Unions in the Balance ILO ACTRAV Working Paper by Jelle Visser Copyright © International Labour Organization 2019 First Published 2019 TradeCHAPITRE Unions A in the Balance ILO ACTRAV Working Paper by Jelle Visser ACTRAV Bureau for Workers’ Activities Trade Unions in the Balance ILO ACTRAV Working Paper by Jelle Visser Copyright © International Labour Organization 2019 First published 2019 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Licensing), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with a reproduction rights organization may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. Trade Unions in the Balance ILO ACTRAV Working Paper. English edition. ISBN 978-92-2-134040-9 (web pdf) International Labour Office. Bureau for Workers’ Activities. The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. Information on ILO publications and digital products can be found at: www.ilo.org/publns. This publication was produced by the Document and Publications Productions Printing en Distribution Branch (PRODOC) of the ILO. Graphic and typographic design, manuscript preparation, copy editing, layout and composition, proofreading, printing, electronic publishing and distribution. PRODOC endeavours to use paper sourced from forests managed in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner. Code: MAS-REP Table of contents FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................ 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: TRADE UNIONS IN THE BALANCE ..................................................... 7 INTRODUCTION: WHAT FUTURE FOR THE UNIONS? ................................................................ 9 I. THE STATE OF THE UNIONS AND THE FUTURE OF WORK .................................................. 13 1 / Employment and employees – how many union members? ................................................ 14 L 1.1 Economic development ......................................................................................................................... 14 L 1.2 World regions............................................................................................................................................ 15 2 / Changes in employment structure and jobs ......................................................................... 18 L 2.1 Deindustrialization .................................................................................................................................. 18 L 2.2 Decline of jobs or unions? ................................................................................................................... 22 L 2.3 Digitalization and technological change .......................................................................................... 24 L 2.4 Disengagement of young people? ..................................................................................................... 24 L 2.5 Unions in commercial and social services ...................................................................................... 27 L 2.6 The rise of female union membership ............................................................................................. 29 3 / Changing employment relationships .................................................................................... 30 L 3.1 Globalization and migration ................................................................................................................. 32 L 3.2 Migration .................................................................................................................................................... 32 L 3.3 Temporary and part-time workers .................................................................................................... 34 L 3.4 Own-account workers and self-employment ............................................................................... 38 L 3.5 Work and unions in the informal economy ..................................................................................... 40 L 3.6 Work and unions in the platform economy ..................................................................................... 43 4 / Summary ............................................................................................................................. 47 II. EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES IN UNIONIZATION .......................................................... 49 1 / Economic development and the informal economy .............................................................. 49 2 / Ethnic diversity .................................................................................................................... 50 3 / Labour rights violations ....................................................................................................... 52 4 / Institutional union security ................................................................................................... 53 5 / Institutional insecurity, competition and union fragmentation ............................................. 56 III. FOUR POSSIBLE FUTURES ................................................................................................ 59 1 / Marginalization ................................................................................................................... 59 2 / Dualization ........................................................................................................................... 62 3 / Substitution .......................................................................................................................... 66 4 / Revitalization ....................................................................................................................... 68 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 71 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 72 ENDNOTES ............................................................................................................................... 79 Foreword This year the International Labour Organization (ILO) is celebrating its 100th anniversary. It is in preparation of this celebration that the Future of Work Initiative was launched in 2015 by the Director General Guy Ryder1 and based on the acknowledgement that the world of work is changing at a faster pace than ever before, creating critical challenges for workers and workers’ organizations worldwide.2 In June 2019, at the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), ILO tripartite constituents adopted the ‘Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work’, which will guide the work of the organization and its constituents for years to come.3 The Centenary Declaration stresses the transformative change in the world of work driven by technological innovations, demographic shifts, environmental and climate change and globalization. It recognizes the historic advances in the past 100 years in the world of work. However, it also points towards the enormous challenges in front of us, such as persistent poverty, inequalities and injustices, conflict, disasters and other humanitarian emergencies that shape the world of work of today and constitute a threat for the workforce of tomorrow. As such, the Declaration stresses the urgency to act in shaping a fair, inclusive and secure future of work with full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all. The Centenary Declaration calls upon the ILO to carry forward with unrelenting vigour its constitutional mandate for social justice by further developing its human-centred approach to the future of work, which puts workers’ rights and the needs, aspirations and rights of all people at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. It also underlines the significance of promoting multilateralism and ensuring policy coherence within the multilateral system. The respect for all fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW), including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, is an essential foundation of the ILO and key to successful policy and decision making. As the world of work is changing at an ever increasing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Diversified Quality Production Revisited: the Transformation of Production Systems and Regulatory Regimes in Germany
    MPIfG Discussion Paper 16/13 Diversified Quality Production Revisited The Transformation of Production Systems and Regulatory Regimes in Germany Arndt Sorge and Wolfgang Streeck MPIfG Discussion Paper MPIfG Discussion Paper Arndt Sorge and Wolfgang Streeck Diversified Quality Production Revisited: The Transformation of Production Systems and Regulatory Regimes in Germany MPIfG Discussion Paper 16/13 Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung, Köln Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne December 2016 MPIfG Discussion Paper ISSN 0944-2073 (Print) ISSN 1864-4325 (Internet) © 2016 by the author(s) About the authors Arndt Sorge is an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam. Email: [email protected] Wolfgang Streeck is Emeritus Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne. Email: [email protected] MPIfG Discussion Papers are refereed scholarly papers of the kind that are publishable in a peer-reviewed disciplinary journal. Their objective is to contribute to the cumulative improvement of theoretical knowl- edge. The papers can be ordered from the institute for a small fee (hard copies) or downloaded free of charge (PDF). Downloads www.mpifg.de Go to Publications / Discussion Papers Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies Paulstr. 3 | 50676 Cologne | Germany Tel. +49 221 2767-0 Fax +49 221 2767-555 www.mpifg.de [email protected] Sorge/Streeck: Diversified Quality Production Revisited iii Abstract We revisit the concept of Diversified Quality Production (DQP), which we introduced about thirty years ago. Our purpose is to examine the extent to which the concept can still be considered tenable for describing and explaining the development of the interaction between the political economy and concepts of production, notably in Germany.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise of the Sharing Economy Impact on the Transportation Space
    The rise of the sharing economy Impact on the transportation space In a world of shared assets, changing economics and customer preferences are increasingly driving transportation players not to go it alone. In only a few short years, the sharing economy has become gain a broader user base, pricing may become more a ubiquitous concept. As recently noted in the Wall Street transparent and assets more fungible between traditional Journal, “there’s an Uber for everything now,” ranging from market verticals. This could allow players to expand beyond Shyp, which uses a network of individual providers to pick their traditional lines of business to offer adjacent services, up, pack and ship items using their own cars, to Zeel, which without having to do it the old fashioned way: investing taps a network of independent licensed therapists to offer huge sums of capital to build capabilities and acquire customers same-day, in-home massages.1 While mobile companies. It seems the sharing economy has the power apps have facilitated this type of collaborative consumption, to bring not only customers but also competitors closer changing consumer preferences may be the biggest together. indicator that the sharing economy is here to stay. Younger Indeed, any industry could potentially benefit from, or people in particular embrace the core idea of eschewing be disrupted by, the rise of collaborative consumption and individual ownership, and its accompanying higher costs, in the proliferation of asset-sharing models. However, due favor of on-demand access to a flexible, lower-cost network to its natural fragmentation and asset intensity, the sharing of shared assets or service providers.2 And, these younger economy is especially relevant to core transportation consumers may have more and more networks to choose companies as well as to heavy users of transportation from as pure-play technology companies continue to enter services.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Review: Trade Unions in Western Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices
    Book Review: Trade Unions in Western Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices blogs.lse.ac.uk /lsereviewof books/2013/12/05/book-review-trade-unions-in-western-europe-hard- times-hard-choices/ Blog Admin In this book the authors attempt to provide an account of how trade unionism has evolved in ten west European countries, the main recent challenges that unions have faced, and their responses. This work will certainly make a fundamental contribution to the debate about the future role and functions of unions as the authors provide key insights in their attempt to identify how unions can learn to attract new members and enhance their strategic capacities, writes Pietro Manzella. Trade Unions in West ern Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices. Rebecca Gumbrell- McCormick and Richard Hyman. Oxf ord Universit y Press. Oct ober 2013. Find t his book: Are unions still relevant actors in the twenty- first century? Can they still give ‘voice’ to employees? If so, to what extent can they do this? What is the trade union response to globalization? The answer to these and other questions concerning trade unions is to be found in the latest work by Rebecca Gumbrell- McCormick and Richard Hyman. Trade Unions in Western Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices sets its sights on the changing functions of unions in western countries in the twenty- first century. In tackling this contentious issue, these two influential scholars supply convincing arguments to explain why the role of unions is still decisive in today’s industrial relations arena. The study is the result of a research project funded by the Danish Social Research Council, which enabled the authors to carry out fieldwork on union responses to globalization.
    [Show full text]
  • Collective Bargaining and Gender Equality Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour
    The Gendered Economy Series Editors: Sara Cantillon and Diane Elson This path-breaking new series critically examines the economy and the theory and methodology of economics through the lens of gender. It will publish original and incisive research that explores the role of gender in the contemporary global economy. The series showcases how economic relationships, actions and institutions are directly affected by gender norms, how a gendered perspective illuminates aspects of the economy that would otherwise be ignored, and challenges many of the tenets that underpin both the mainstream and heterodox interpretation of how economies function. Published Collective Bargaining and Gender Equality Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour The Economy’s Other Half James Heintz The Sex Economy Monica O’Connor COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND GENDER EQUALITY Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour We dedicate this book to our sisters © Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour 2019 This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. No reproduction without permission. All rights reserved. First published in 2019 by Agenda Publishing Agenda Publishing Limited The Core Bath Lane Newcastle Helix Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5TF www.agendapub.com ISBN 978-1-78821-076-8 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Typeset by JS Typesetting Ltd, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan Printed and bound in the UK by Short Run Press Ltd, Exeter, Devon Contents Acknowledgements vii Acronyms ix Foreword by Series Editors xv 1. Introduction 1 2. The gender dimensions of collective bargaining 9 3. Collective bargaining as a tool for gender equality: evidence from across the world 35 4.
    [Show full text]
  • GLOSSARY of COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TERMS and SELECTED LABOR TOPICS
    GLOSSARY of COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TERMS and SELECTED LABOR TOPICS ABEYANCE – The placement of a pending grievance (or motion) by mutual agreement of the parties, outside the specified time limits until a later date when it may be taken up and processed. ACTION - Direct action occurs when any group of union members engage in an action, such as a protest, that directly exposes a problem, or a possible solution to a contractual and/or societal issue. Union members engage in such actions to spotlight an injustice with the goal of correcting it. It further mobilizes the membership to work in concerted fashion for their own good and improvement. ACCRETION – The addition or consolidation of new employees or a new bargaining unit to or with an existing bargaining unit. ACROSS THE BOARD INCREASE - A general wage increase that covers all the members of a bargaining unit, regardless of classification, grade or step level. Such an increase may be in terms of a percentage or dollar amount. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE – An agent of the National Labor Relations Board or the public sector commission appointed to docket, hear, settle and decide unfair labor practice cases nationwide or statewide in the public sector. They also conduct and preside over formal hearings/trials on an unfair labor practice complaint or a representation case. AFL-CIO - The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations is the national federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of fifty-six national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million active and retired workers.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Unions at Work
    Publications and further information The TUC publishes a wide range of reports, leaflets, books and DVDs. We also produce a downloadable educational resource pack for schools and youth organisations, A Better Way to Work, to help young people prepare for the world of work. We have an extensive website at www.tuc.org.uk. This contains press statements, campaign news, policy briefings, statistical information and publications for sale. Register online for free email news updates matching your areas of interest. Reprint of revised edition May 2010 4K Design: Eureka! Print: College Hill Press ISBN 978 1 85006 862 4 Contact details: Trades Union Congress Congress House Great Russell Street London WC1B 3LS Tel: 020 7636 4030 Fax: 020 7636 0632 www.tuc.org.uk If you do not belong to a union and want to know which Trade unions one to join, phone the TUC ‘Join a Union’ line on: 0870 600 4882 at work Calls are charged at the national rate. Front cover photo: For more information about the TUC’s different activities what they are and what they do try one of our websites: John Harris/reportdigital.co.uk www.tuc.org.uk (main site) www.worksmart.org.uk (help and advice for everyone at work) www.unionlearn.org.uk (for learners and learning reps) www.unionhistory.info (TUC archives online) Printed on a FSC Certified Product Including a guide to the Trades Union Congress Contents Introduction 03 Introduction: The world of work the world of work 04 Section 1: Unions today 12 Section 2: The TUC 22 Glossary Work dominates modern life.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Unions and the Capitalist State.Pdf
    ,/ ~· InzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBAparticular, texts such as Th~rborn:s, l/7ha/ b Dou /he Rllling Clan DokjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Unfortunately there has been a tradicional failure amongst Marxists to Ir,mlll UII/U?, and Poul~tzas , S/a/e, POllJer, JOCla/IJIII, expllcltly con- :..:".r-'~~~- address the relationship between trade unionism and the state in a 't"""." rJj; cáhed tfiemselves with tracing and delineating the changing patterns , - I ~ rigorous dialectical fashion. Therborn's valuable perception, for ..,'.~.~<~ of bourgeois-democratic rule In \Ore ff1ollop·6!y==capinrtistera:! The ¡/ 1 instance, that as a collective mass organization, 'the labour movement \ \ si~f1íficantchanges were broadly seen to entail : a s_hiftin the lo¿us 0L isorganized in a fundamentally different way from the state bureaucracyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA dccision-rnakinp from parliament ro the techno:ratic/exec~tive appar- l or a capitalist firm,' was not carried over to examine the contradietions , --l:> atus of tfie state¡ the fus!on of tIle stafeat ~Ievel wHh the top that arise when trade-union represent¡1tives)oin state personnel and echelons of ca )italis..!_s~rise¡ and the gener:1Qre:úilllg...do.wn of the capitalist management in 'institutionahzed Joint bodles' .• For his <7 public-prizate boundaries hat previously characterized bourgeois part,-Poulantzas made httle attempt to clarify the slgnificance of his e de/riocracy. It glrt ese observations, taken in themselves, were by passing observation that ' "reformist" trade unions are now directly no means new, either within or withour the Marxisr problematic, their inserted in the (state) administrative structure'v! Particularly in Iight: systematic location within a Marxist theory of the state was much to be applaudcd.
    [Show full text]
  • Indictment Presented to the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 18 October 1945)
    Indictment presented to the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 18 October 1945) Caption: On 18 October 1945, the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg accuses 24 German political, military and economic leaders of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Source: Indictment presented to the International Military Tribunal sitting at Berlin on 18th October 1945. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, November 1945. 50 p. (Cmd. 6696). p. 2-50. Copyright: Crown copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the Queen's Printer for Scotland URL: http://www.cvce.eu/obj/indictment_presented_to_the_international_military_tribunal_nuremberg_18_october_1945-en- 6b56300d-27a5-4550-8b07-f71e303ba2b1.html Last updated: 03/07/2015 1 / 46 03/07/2015 Indictment presented to the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 18 October 1945) INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS — AGAINST — HERMANN WILHELM GÖRING, RUDOLF HESS, JOACHIM VON RIBBENTROP, ROBERT LEY, WILHELM KEITEL, ERNST KALTEN BRUNNER, ALFRED ROSENBERG, HANS FRANK, WILHELM FRICK, JULIUS STREICHER, WALTER FUNK, HJALMAR SCHACHT, GUSTAV KRUPP VON BOHLEN UND HALBACH, KARL DÖNITZ, ERICH RAEDER, BALDUR VON SCHIRACH, FRITZ SAUCKEL, ALFRED JODL, MARTIN BORMANN, FRANZ VON PAPEN, ARTUR SEYSS INQUART, ALBERT SPEER, CONSTANTIN VON NEURATH, AND HANS FRITZSCHE,
    [Show full text]
  • Right to Freedom of Association in the Workplace: Australia's Compliance with International Human Rights Law
    UCLA UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal Title The Right to Freedom of Association in the Workplace: Australia's Compliance with International Human Rights Law Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98v0c0jj Journal UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal, 27(2) Author Hutchinson, Zoé Publication Date 2010 DOI 10.5070/P8272022218 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California ARTICLES THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION IN THE WORKPLACE: AUSTRALIA'S COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW Zoe Hutchinson BA LLB (Hons, 1st Class)* ABSTRACT The right to freedom of association in the workplace is a well- established norm of internationalhuman rights law. However, it has traditionally received insubstantial attention within human rights scholarship. This article situates the right to freedom of as- sociation at work within human rights discourses. It looks at the status, scope and importance of the right as it has evolved in inter- nationalhuman rights law. In so doing, a case is put that there are strong reasons for states to comply with the right to freedom of association not only in terms of internationalhuman rights obliga- tions but also from the perspective of human dignity in the context of an interconnected world. A detailed case study is offered that examines the right to free- dom of association in the Australian context. There has been a series of significant changes to Australian labor law in recent years. The Rudd-Gillard Labor government claimed that recent changes were to bring Australia into greater compliance with its obligations under internationallaw. This policy was presented to electors as in sharp contrast to the Work Choices legislation of the Howard Liberal-Nationalparty coalitiongovernment.
    [Show full text]
  • Betriebsratswahlen 2018 Zusammenfassende Dokumentation Der Kommunikationsmassnahmen
    Betriebsratswahlen 2018 Zusammenfassende Dokumentation der Kommunikationsmassnahmen STECKENPFERD.de im Auftrag der IG Metall Homburg-Saarpfalz - September 2018 1 Robert Bosch GmbH Werk Homburg #berwahl2018 DIN A3 Ankündigungsplakat „Bewirb Dich!“ Betriebsratswahl 2018 Zusammen. Für alle. Für uns. Bewirb Dich jetzt für Deinen Platz auf der IG Metall-Liste. INFO GENÜGT: Oliver Simon, BER-Vorsitzender HoP1 MAIL: [email protected] MOBIL: 0174 190 29 51 #berwahl2018 Homburg- DIN A3 Saarpfalz Ankündigungsplakat „Aschermittwoch“ Katerfrühstück gefällig? Am Aschermittwoch, 14. Februar 2018, lädt Dich der IG Metall-Betriebsrat zum Katerfrühstück ein. Lass Dir aufzeigen, was der neue Tarifvertrag der Metall- und Elektroindustrie für Dich bedeutet. Anmeldung bis Dienstag, 13. Februar 2018, bei: Oliver Simon, BER-Vorsitzender HoP1 MAIL: [email protected] MOBIL: 0174 190 29 51 BER-­‐Wahl 2018 Und Du bist? Dein Steckbrief DIN A4 Wer bist Du? Beschreibe Dich bitte kurz, Deine Stärken, Deine Schwächen... ___________________________________________________________________________ Fragebögen „Dein Steckbrief“ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Warum kandidierst Du für den Betriebsrat? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Management's Reserved Rights: a Labor View Arthur J
    118 MANAGEMENT'S RESERVED RIGHTS: A LABOR VIEW ARTHUR J. GOLDBERG General Counsel, United Steelworkers of America It is good to be here among so many friends and co-workers. Whether we happen to represent unions or management or serve as arbitrators, we are all dedicated to the same general purpose. We want better understanding, stable relationships in industry, profitable, prosperous, private industrial enterprises, an ever rising standard of living, and health and happiness for the workers. The service rendered to our country by arbitrators has been tremendous—and yet your task is largely thankless. Usually the public knows little of your real accomplishments and the parties are sometimes quick to condemn. But in recent years a growing realization is taking place among union men and company executives that your contribution cannot be measured by a box score. This is not only an outgrowth of maturity of the parties but is a testimony to your constructive achievement of an increasingly secure position in the labor-management fabric. Today I can speak here representing labor's viewpoint in only a limited sense. There are such wide varieties of problems, tra- ditions, and patterns of bargaining in the many unions which make up the American labor movement that I could not begin to undertake to speak in terms of all of them. Therefore, please bear in mind that I am speaking primarily for the Steelworkers and to some extent in terms of my knowledge of other unions in basic industries. What I say may have much broader appli- cation; I suspect it has.
    [Show full text]
  • German History Reflected
    The Detlev Rohwedder Building German history reflected GFE = 1/2 Formathöhe The Detlev Rohwedder Building German history reflected Contents 3 Introduction 44 Reunification and Change 46 The euphoria of unity 4 The Reich Aviation Ministry 48 A tainted place 50 The Treuhandanstalt 6 Inception 53 The architecture of reunification 10 The nerve centre of power 56 In conversation with 14 Courage to resist: the Rote Kapelle Hans-Michael Meyer-Sebastian 18 Architecture under the Nazis 58 The Federal Ministry of Finance 22 The House of Ministries 60 A living place today 24 The changing face of a colossus 64 Experiencing and creating history 28 The government clashes with the people 66 How do you feel about working in this building? 32 Socialist aspirations meet social reality 69 A stroll along Wilhelmstrasse 34 Isolation and separation 36 Escape from the state 38 New paths and a dead-end 72 Chronicle of the Detlev Rohwedder Building 40 Architecture after the war – 77 Further reading a building is transformed 79 Imprint 42 In conversation with Jürgen Dröse 2 Contents Introduction The Detlev Rohwedder Building, home to Germany’s the House of Ministries, foreshadowing the country- Federal Ministry of Finance since 1999, bears wide uprising on 17 June. Eight years later, the Berlin witness to the upheavals of recent German history Wall began to cast its shadow just a few steps away. like almost no other structure. After reunification, the Treuhandanstalt, the body Constructed as the Reich Aviation Ministry, the charged with the GDR’s financial liquidation, moved vast site was the nerve centre of power under into the building.
    [Show full text]