Wolfgang Katzian

Wolfgang Katzian
Wolfgang Katzian in 2014
Chairman of the European Trade Union Confederation
Assumed office
26 May 2023
Preceded byLaurent Berger
President of the Austrian Trade Union Federation
Assumed office
14 June 2018
Preceded byErich Foglar
Personal details
Born (1956-10-28) 28 October 1956 (age 68)
Stockerau, Austria

Wolfgang Katzian (born October 28, 1956, in Stockerau, Austria) is an Austrian politician and president of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) since June 14, 2018, and president of European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) since May 26, 2023.

Career

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After finishing primary and secondary school, Katzian initially enrolled in a commercial academy for a year. Following that, he embarked on an apprenticeship as a banker from 1971 to 1974, and subsequently worked in the foreign exchange department of the Länderbank from 1970 to 1977. His roles evolved over the years: starting as a youth secretary in 1977, then advancing to secretary to the management in 1986, central secretary for education, advertising, and member services in 1992, and finally central secretary for organization at the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA) in 1994. By 2000, he ascended to the position of federal managing director of the GPA. Additionally, in 1990, he assumed the role of deputy secretary, and by 1998, he was appointed as secretary of the Social Democratic Trade Union Group (FSG).[1]

In 2005, he became chairman of the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA), which at the time was Austria's largest trade union. In 2007, the GPA merged with the Union of Private Sector Employees, Printing, Journalism, and Paper (DJP), Austria's oldest trade union, to form the GPA-DJP. Katzian retained his position as Chairman in the new union, which, as of June 2010, remains the largest in Austria. Intermittently since 2006 he has served as member of Austria's National Council for the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). He has been a member of the UNI World Executive board since 2005.

At the ÖGB federal congress in 2009 he was elected chairman of the FSG, and Rainer Wimmer succeeded him in this role in June 2018.[2] On June 14, 2018, he was elected President of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) as the successor to Erich Foglar.[3]

Katzian was also part-time president of the football club FK Austria Wien from 2007 until November 5, 2018.[4] On May 26, 2023, he succeeded Laurent Berger as President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Wolfgang Katzian". parlament.gv.at.
  2. ^ "ÖGB-Kongress: Wimmer neuer FSG-Vorsitzender" (in German). newsv2.orf.at. 12 June 2018.
  3. ^ a b "ÖGB-Chef Katzian Präsident des Europäischen Gewerkschaftsbundes" (in German). Kleine Zeitung. 26 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Austria-Präsident Katzian tritt zurück" (in German). sport.orf.at. 4 November 2018.
Trade union offices
Preceded by
Hans Sallmutter
President of the Union of Private Sector Employees
2005–2007
Succeeded by
Union merged
Preceded by
New position
President of the Union of Private Sector Employees, Printing, Journalism, and Paper
2007–2018
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Erich Foglar
President of the Austrian Trade Union Federation
2018–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by President of the European Trade Union Confederation
2023–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent