Frank Werneke has been elected as successor to the long-time Ver.di chairman Frank Bsirske. The almost 1000 delegates of the Federal Congress voted with 92.7 percent for the 52-year-olds. Bsirske was at the top for 18 years and did not start again when he was 67 years old. A search committee had proposed Werneke as the future union leader.
Werneke was previously responsible in 17 years as deputy Ver.di boss, among other things, for the finances of the 1.97 million-member union. Werneke reminded that since his time as an apprentice he had been active in trade unions. "I am proud and proud trade unionists, because I personally experienced and learned that through joint action, that through joint struggles, the arrogance of power can be overcome and broken," he said.
Bsirske was re-elected for four years in 2015 with his worst result of 88.5 percent. Even then, the long-term chairman had announced his withdrawal. The trade union leader, with a green party book, once again advocated, among other things, the socially equitable financing of necessary investments in climate protection and concluded with the words: "That's what I wanted to say, and now I'm through."
As the new boss Werneke demanded an active welfare state and criticized the privatization in the care of the elderly. "We want to replace greed for profit with the common good," he said. "That's why we finally want to tax wealth appropriately, to finance better pensions and to enforce more distributive justice." Ver.di should also be clear against further arms race and for tolerance. Christine Behle and Andrea Kocsic were elected Wernekes vice-chieftains.
