The General German Civil Service Federation (German: Allgemeiner Deutscher Beamtenbund, ADB) was a trade union representing civil servants in Germany.
In 1922, the German Civil Service Federation (DBB) opposed a strike by railway workers. In protest, the federation's more left-wing affiliates left and on 8 June founded the "General German Civil Service Federation". The new federation soon negotiated a partnership agreement with the General German Trade Union Federation, and the AfA-Bund. It also worked closely with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), but because some SPD supporters remained part of the DBB, the SPD only recognised the new federation in 1930.[1]
The federation was led by Albert Falkenberg and published the journal Mitteilungsblatt der Gewerkschaflichen Beamtenzentrale. From 1925, it was affiliated to the International Federation of Civil Servants.[1]
Membership of the federation was initially 350,000 but, due to reductions of the size of the German civil service, by 1932, it was down to 171,000. Once a Nazi government was elected, the federation anticipated that it would be banned, and so pre-empted this by dissolving, on 6 April 1933.[2]
As of 1928, the following unions were affiliated to the ADB, some only in respect of part of their membership:[1]