What advantages do you have as a trade union member?

If you join a trade union, it will support you. Trade unions, for example, offer:

• Free advice and information about rights under collective agreements, unemployment claims and company pension schemes.
• Support in the event of a dispute with the employer
• Free legal advice and free legal protection (for example, also in the event of a dispute with the employers' liability insurance association or with pension, health, nursing care or unemployment insurance)
• Seminars for qualification and further training on occupational and socio-political topics for members
• Strike pay in the event of strikes (if the employer does not pay wages due to the strike)

Please note: you usually won’t receive legal representation from the trade union in the first three months of your union membership.

Your trade union can also support you in claiming holiday pay or Christmas bonuses in court if you are entitled to them. Your entitlement depends on whether these payments are included in your employment contract (exception: the special payments are regulated in a generally binding collective agreement that applies to you). The more members a trade union has, the greater its political influence.