2023-05-26 10:46:33
Wolfgang Katzian, head of the Austrian Trade Union Confederation (ÖGB), has been elected President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). In the vote at the ETUC Congress in Berlin, Katzian received 96.0 percent of the votes, as was announced on Friday. There were no other candidates. Katzian succeeds Frenchman Laurent Berger, who has held the post since 2019.
After Fritz Verzetnitsch, the 66-year-old trade unionist and SPÖ politician is the second ÖGB president to hold a top position in the European umbrella organization. Verzetnitsch was ETUC President from 1993 to 2003. Since 2003, the ETUC presidency has only been awarded for a one-time, four-year term of office.
As part of the regular renewal of the ETUC management posts, the Irish Esther Lynch, who has been in office since 2022, was confirmed as General Secretary of the umbrella organization. A total of six posts in the General Secretariat and eight posts in the Presidency have been filled.
“It’s a great honor for me,” Katzian thanked the delegates, “I will use this opportunity wholeheartedly, with a lot of commitment and full of energy to help shape the development of the trade union movement in Europe.” The focal points of the work for the next four years, which were decided by the around 500 delegates at the ETUC Congress in the “Berlin Manifesto”: Effective measures once morest inflation, lowering wage costs and a stronger say for employees.
In his new position, the “ardent European” Katzian wants to work primarily for the four-day week and for an expansion of collective agreements (KV) in the European countries. Because the income situation for people is the focus everywhere. In Germany there is KV coverage of 50 percent, in Estonia it is only six percent, while in Austria it is 98 percent, Katzian said in the Ö1 morning journal. That must first be fought for at European level. Katzian’s goal: Europe-wide over 80 percent.
Without any ifs or buts, the new ETUC boss also advocates the introduction of a four-day week throughout Europe. However, this requires laws in the individual countries, and it will be difficult to find a general European regulation here. However, Katzian would like at least a legal framework and the embedding of working time arrangements in collective agreements.
In any case, the four-day week is possible. That doesn’t mean that “every four days work and all three days are not there at the same time”. Rather, the needs and wishes of the employees would mix with the possibilities of the company. An “exciting process,” as Katzian says. He points out that many companies are already testing the four-day week and some have even adopted it into the standard system – not only in Austria.
93 trade union confederations from 41 European countries and ten Europe-wide trade union federations belong to the ETUC. The association is celebrating its 50th birthday this year.
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