The first Carl Bertelsmann Prize recognizes innovative collective bargaining

The Bertelsmann Stiftung introduces the Carl Bertelsmann Prize in 1988 to recognize innovative, exemplary initiatives and solutions to key social issues. Prize winners have made an important contribution to shaping the evolution of democratic societies, particularly the institutions and structures associated with the economy and communication. The awards ceremony is held at the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Gütersloh, accompanied by a symposium on the topic for that year’s prize. The prize is named after the company founder, Carl Bertelsmann, whose entrepreneurial actions and social commitment some 150 years ago were grounded in openness, concern for results, long-term thinking and respect for humanity. The prize, which carries a cash award of DM300,000, honors the tradition of the Bertelsmann and Mohn families. The inaugural prize in 1988 recognizes the management and unions in the construction, chemical and metalworking industries for their pioneering contributions to the development of the collective bargaining system.

By awarding the prize to the IG Bau-Steine-Erden, the Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie e.V. (the main trade association for the construction industry) and the Zentralverband des Baugewerbes e.V. (the central association of the German building trade), the jury honors their many concrete achievements in areas including employee social welfare funds and retirement benefits. By bestowing the prize to the Industriegewerkschaft Chemie-Papier-Keramik (Chemistry-Paper-Ceramics Industrial Union) and the Bundesverband Chemie e.V. (a federal association representing the chemical industry), the jury highlights the crucial breakthrough in dismantling the lingering social-welfare differences between hourly and salaried employees. The award of the prize to the Industriegewerkschaft Metall (Metalworkers Industrial Union) and the Gesamtverband der metallindustriellen Arbeitgeberverbände e.V. (National Association of Employers Federations in the Metalworking Industry) serves to recognize their many innovations in collective bargaining and particularly their effective measures to provide humane working conditions. In conjunction with the awards ceremony, a symposium is held on the topic "Between Conflict and Cooperation: How Unions and Management Contribute to Moving Society Forward." Discussions center on questions about labor autonomy and collective bargaining as a sociopolitical instrument, opportunities for conflict reduction and the challenges for collective bargaining in the years ahead. The discussion among leading representatives of unions and management, experts in labor and collective bargaining law and academics, led by Professor Ralf Dahrendorf, draws on experiences in Great Britain and Switzerland.

2nd NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Contest

A total of 31 young opera singers from Eastern and Western Europe and the United States participate in the second international singing competition. First prize is awarded to soprano Izabela Labuda from Poland. Second place goes to Heike Thea Terjung, a lyric mezzosoprano from Germany. Coloratura soprano Ingrid Kertesi of Hungary comes in third.A symposium entitled "What Influences Determine Work in the Cultural Sector?" focuses on aspects of leadership, motivation and cost effectiveness in the realm of art and culture. Led by Prof. August Everding, participants Prof. Justus Frantz, Dr. Volker Hassemer (a pianist and director of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival), Dr. Volker Hassemer (the Berlin senator responsible for cultural affairs) and Reinhard Mohn discuss the various perspectives on this topic.


Conference on "Employee Participation, Corporate Culture and Social Partnership"

Employee participation, corporate culture and social partnership, leadership and motivation are the cornerstones of a discussion about the development of society and the economy. For private businesses and for public administration, accomplishing future tasks will require employees to share responsibility and actively shape their workplace. The challenges of international competition and the EC internal market call for an increased effort to structure the world of work more humanely. In presentations and discussions attended by more than 300 people, issues regarding employee participation and social partnership as well as their consequences for labor autonomy are discussed by Dr. Ernst Albrecht (premier of Lower Saxony), DGB chairman Ernst Breit, Walter Hirche (Lower Saxony economics minister), DAG chairman Roland Issen, Reinhard Mohn, BDA president Dr. Klaus Murmann (BDA president), Dr. Hermann Solms (financial policy spokesman of the FDP), Prof. Dieter Weidemann (first chairman of the AGP), Prof. Volker Beuthien and Prof. Horst Siebert.


Fundació Biblioteca Can Torró Alcúdia, Majorca

The Gütersloh Public Library credits its success to being both user-friendly and cost-effective. With some adjustments to suit user needs in Spain, this management concept is introduced at the Can Torró library in Alcudia. First initiated in 1987, a dialogue between the Bertelsmann Stiftung and local authorities results in collaboration in the areas of library services and promoting literacy. With the signing of an agreement establishing a new foundation on December 29, 1988, the project partners call the Fundació Biblioteca d’Alcúdia to life. The new entity opens its doors on April 23, 1990, sponsored by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the community of Alcúdia. In 1997, the local partners take over management of the facility, with the Bertelsmann Stiftung continuing its consulting support until 2002 while simultaneously financing continuing education programs and individual projects.