"University in the clutches of the DGB" was the headline of the daily newspaper Die Welt on the occasion of the cooperation agreement concluded on 17 December 1974 between the young University of Oldenburg, the DGB and the educational association Arbeit und Leben. Although conservative circles fiercely opposed the university-union co-operation in the early days, it became a model of success in Oldenburg and was transferred to other regions. The co-operation has contributed to improving working and living conditions in the region and has always aimed to take greater account of the interests and problems of employees in academia.

Around 150 guests from education, trade unions, business, politics and society attended the celebratory event on 5 September 2024 in the auditorium of the University of Oldenburg.

The guests were treated to a festive programme with short speeches by Elke Hannack (Deputy Chair of the German Trade Union Confederation) and Prof. Dr Thomas Breisig (Chair of Organisation and Human Resources at the University of Oldenburg and Chair of the Cooperation Committee) as well as welcoming speeches by Falko Mohrs (Minister of Science of the State of Lower Saxony), Prof. Dr Ralf Bruder (President of the University of Oldenburg), Jörg Stahlmann (Vice President Administration of the University of Oldenburg) and Dr Mehrdad Payandeh (Chair of the DGB district of Lower Saxony - Bremen - Saxony-Anhalt). Dr Jürgen Lüthje (former Chancellor of the University of Oldenburg), Manfred Klöpper (former Head of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation), Dr Björn Allmendinger (Deputy Managing Director of Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen) and Dorothee Koch (Managing Director of the DGB region Oldenburg-Ostfriesland) led a discussion on cooperation work then, now and in the future. In addition to reviews and outlooks on the co-operation work between the university and trade unions, lively discussions took place afterwards over food and drinks.