Editing Ver.di (section)

== Organisational structure ==
Verdi's highest body is its National Congress (Bundeskongress), which convenes once every four years to stipulate the basic principles of the union policy and to elect and formally approve the actions of the National Executive Board and the Trade Union Council (Gewerkschaftsrat).<ref name="verdi_satzung" /> The trade union itself is divided up into different levels, divisions and groups of individuals. The divisions and groups of individuals have their own organs and committees on a local, district, state and national level.<ref name="verdi_satzung" /> This [[Matrix organization|matrix system]] was already a controversial decision back when Verdi was founded and problems concerning the management of the trade union continued to be brought to the forefront after its establishment.<ref>{{cite news|language=de|title=Stunde der Wahrheit für einen ehrgeizigen Zusammenschluss|newspaper=Handelsblatt|date=November 16, 1999|pages=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|language=de|title=Die Gewerkschaft Verdi sucht "Steuerungsfähigkeit"|newspaper=Handelsblatt|date=September 28, 2007|pages=5}}</ref> The matrix system is designed to not only represent the organisation Verdi as a whole, but also the interests of the individual professions of its members.<ref>{{cite news|language=de|title=Verdi-Partner regeln Fachbereichsarbeit|newspaper=Handelsblatt|date=September 19, 2000|pages=8}}</ref> The equal treatment of men and women in all organisational units is stipulated in the Verdi Statute and has been a central topic of the trade union ever since it was first established.<ref name="verdi_satzung" /><ref>{{cite news|language=de|author=Sabine Schanzmann|title=Potenzial der Frauen erschließen|newspaper=Leipziger-Volkszeitung|date=June 2, 2001|pages=5}}</ref>

=== The Trade Union Council and National Executive Board ===
Between the National Congresses, the Trade Union Council represents Verdi's highest body. The council is composed of representatives from the federal state districts, the divisions and the groups of women, young people and senior citizens.<ref name="verdi_satzung" /> The Trade Union Council monitors compliance with the Verdi Statute, approves the union's annual budget and year-end accounts and supervises the National Executive Board.

The National Executive Board is responsible for all activities that are not restricted to the National Congress or the Trade Union Council as stipulated in the Verdi Statute. It is responsible for running Verdi's business activities and represents the trade union on an internal and external level. The National Executive Board is composed of a chairman, the Division Managers and up to five further members.<ref name="verdi_satzung">{{cite web|language=de|url=https://www.verdi.de/ueber-uns/bundeskongress/downloads/++co++004cc9cc-c73c-11e0-7b24-0019b9e321e1|title=Satzung|publisher=ver.di Bundesverwaltung|access-date=November 28, 2016}}</ref> The Board currently has nine members.<ref name="verdi_organisation" />

=== Federal state districts, districts and local levels ===
Verdi's smallest regional units are its local districts, which can be formed if several divisions exist on a regional level. These local districts are designed to support and simplify cooperation between members.<ref name="verdi_satzung" /> The next level up from the local level is the union's districts throughout Germany, which are in turn subordinate to the federal state districts. These federal state districts decide on the regional structures and dimensions of the districts in mutual agreement,<ref name="verdi_satzung" /> while the federal state districts themselves are set up by the Trade Union Council.<ref name="verdi_satzung" /> Verdi currently has ten federal state districts:<ref>{{cite web|language=de|url=https://www.verdi.de/wegweiser/verdi-finden|author=Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft|access-date=October 12, 2015|title=ver.di finden}}</ref>

* [[Baden-Württemberg]]
* [[Bavaria]]
* [[Berlin]]-[[Brandenburg]]
* [[Hamburg]]
* [[Hesse]]
* [[Lower Saxony]] / [[Bremen]]
* North ([[Schleswig-Holstein]], [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|Mecklenburg-West Pomerania]])
* [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]
* [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] / [[Saarland]]
* [[Saxony]], [[Saxony-Anhalt]] and [[Thuringia]]

=== Divisions and groups of individuals ===
Verdi's divisions are oriented towards the industries and sectors of its members and are responsible for the "tasks involved in the subject-specific representation of member and company-related interests".<ref name="verdi_satzung" /> The divisions determine their own inner structures and have their own statutes, which must be approved by the Trade Union Council.<ref name="verdi_satzung" />{{rp|32}} Verdi currently has five divisions (''Fachbereiche''),<ref>{{cite web |title=Fachbereiche |url=https://www.verdi.de/wegweiser/++co++ee809444-cfd3-11e0-5780-0019b9e321cd |website=www.verdi.de |publisher=ver.di |access-date=2022-11-13}}</ref> formerly 13 divisions:<ref name="verdi_organisation">{{cite web|language=de|url=https://www.verdi.de/ueber-uns/organisation|title=Organisation|publisher=ver.di Bundesverwaltung|access-date=November 28, 2016}}</ref>

* A: Financial Services, Communications and Technology, Culture, Utilities and Disposal
* B: Public and Private Services, Social Insurance and Traffic
* C: Health, Social Services, Eduacation and Science
* D: Trade
* E: Postal Services, Shipping Companies and Logistics

Specialist groups and specialist commissions can be formed within the individual divisions to particularly support and promote the specific interests of individual professions.

Alongside the divisions, the Verdi Statute also stipulates that so-called groups of individuals be established on a district, state and national level. Verdi currently has a total of eight groups of individuals:

* Young People
* Senior Citizens
* Workers
* Civil Servants
* Masters, Technicians and Engineers
* Freelance Collaborators and Personally Self-Employed, Freelance or Employee-Like Individuals
* Unemployed Individuals and
* Migrants

The tasks, structure and membership of each group of individuals is regulated by guidelines that are passed by the Trade Union Council based on proposals made by different committees.<ref name="verdi_satzung" />

=== Membership numbers and structure ===
Verdi's total number of members decreased from 2.81 to 2.04 million between 2001 and 2014.<ref>{{cite web|language=de|url=http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/74814/umfrage/mitglieder-der-gewerkschaft-verdi-seit-2001/|title=Anzahl der Mitglieder der Gewerkschaft ver.di von 2001 bis 2014 (in Millionen)|website=Statista|date=January 2015|access-date=September 1, 2015}}</ref> One of the reasons behind this decrease is the union's competition with rival trade unions such as the physicians' union [[Marburger Bund]] and the pilots' association [[Vereinigung Cockpit]].<ref>{{cite news|language=de|title=Seit dem Jahr 2001 hat Verdi jedes fünfte Mitglied verloren|newspaper=Neue Württembergische Zeitung|date=November 6, 2007|pages=4}}</ref> According to observers, Verdi is "comparatively good" at recruiting new members but is limited in its success when it comes to establishing loyalty among its members on a long-term basis.<ref>{{cite book|language=de|author1=Bettina Munimus|author2=Diana Rüdt|author3=Wolfgang Schroeder|title=Seniorenpolitik im Wandel: Verbände und Gewerkschaften als Interessenvertreter der älteren Generation|publisher=Campus Verlag|location=Frankfurt am Main|date=2010|isbn=978-3-593-39318-6|pages=371}}</ref> In fact, the battle against decreasing interest among employees and women in particular was already an issue even before the merger of the five individual unions in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|language=de|author=Christine Möllhoff|title=Die deutschen Gewerkschaften bald Clubs der alten Männer?|newspaper=Darmstädter Echo|date=August 7, 1999}}</ref> In 2003, member numbers dropped so low that Verdi was forced to let some of its own staff go.<ref>{{cite web|language=de|url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/archiv/weniger-mitglieder-verdi-muss-personalkosten-senken/2232276.html|title=Weniger Mitglieder: Verdi muss Personalkosten senken|website=Handelsblatt|date=March 11, 2003|access-date=September 1, 2015}}</ref> This was, however, also due to the fact that many structures were duplicated in the Verdi administration after the merger.<ref>{{cite news|language=de|author=Ruppert Mayr, Kristina Pezzei|title=Verdi kämpft mit den Altlasten der Fusion|newspaper=Sächsische Zeitung|date=October 22, 2003|pages=2}}</ref> In 2007, the National Congress instructed the executive board to take measures to stop or even reverse the dwindling member numbers. This led to the initiation of the "Chance 2011" (Opportunity 2011) campaign,<ref>{{cite news|language=de|author=Kolja Rudzio|title=Die Mitglieder laufen davon|newspaper=Die Zeit|date=September 15, 2011|pages=33}}</ref> which was continued in a similar form under the title of "Perspektive 2015" (Prospects for 2015) in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|language=de|author=Maike Rademaker|title=Verdi schrumpft: Die Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft will mit einer Kampagne den Mitgliederschwund stoppen|newspaper=Financial Times Deutschland|date=October 22, 2012|pages=9}}</ref> As a result, Verdi representatives were able to refer to an "end to dwindling member numbers" in 2015, at least with regard to [[New states of Germany|Germany's new federal states]] (from the former [[East Germany|GDR]]).<ref>{{cite news|language=de|author=Franziska Höhnl|title=Ende des Mitgliederschwunds|newspaper=Mitteldeutsche Zeitung|date=August 4, 2015}}</ref> Today, it represents 200,000 employees in state and publicly listed banks alone.<ref>Tom Sims and Michael Nienaber (March 12, 2019), [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-commerzbank-m-a-deutsche-bank/germanys-verdi-union-opposed-to-deutsche-commerzbank-merger-idUSKBN1QT17F Germany's Verdi union opposed to Deutsche-Commerzbank merger] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

Verdi has been running a member network that is open to Verdi members only since December 2008.<ref>{{cite web|language=de|url=http://www.jav.info/blog/mitgliedernetz-feiert-geburtstag|title=Unser Mitgliedernetz feiert Geburtstag!|website=jav.info|access-date=December 17, 2015|date=December 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224093543/http://www.jav.info/blog/mitgliedernetz-feiert-geburtstag|archive-date=February 24, 2016}}</ref> Alongside member information and online services, the network enables members to get in touch and exchange expertise and experiences in forums.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Barbara Hackenjos|author2=Romin Khan|title=Bei Facebook oder im Mitgliedernetz: Aus Kollegen werden Freunde|editor=Frank Bsirske|display-authors=etal|journal=Grenzenlos Vernetzt? Gewerkschaftliche Positionen zur Netzpolitik|publisher=VSA-Verlag|location=Hamburg|date=2012|isbn=978-3-89965-488-2}}.</ref> In 2012, a working platform for committees, special interest groups, shop stewards and other individuals actively involved in the running of Verdi was added to the member network. The members of this platform can use it to hold discussions in closed groups, chat and provide information.<ref>{{cite book|language=de|author1=Karl-Hermann Böker|author2=Ute Demuth|author3=Maria Lück|title=Intranet und Internet für Betriebsräte: Planung, Entwicklung, Umsetzung|publisher=Bund-Verlag|location=Frankfurt am Main|date=2013|isbn=978-3-7663-8315-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|language=de|editor1=Hans Christian Voigt|editor2=Thomas Kreiml|title=Soziale Bewegungen und Social Media – Handbuch für den Einsatz von Web 2.0|publisher=ÖGB-Verlag|location=Vienna|date=2011|isbn=978-3-7035-1462-3}}</ref>