Frank Bsirske (63) has headed up the services union Verdi since its inception in 2001 and for the fifth time in a row he has been reelected as its head during the Verdi congress being held in Leipzig (20 – 26 September). The day after his reelection he outlined the main direction for the union in the coming years. The union is set on a course to win over and retain new members, especially younger members. The union will also continue battling for upgrading social professions, in line with its efforts during the widespread but unsuccessful conflict in the childcare/crèche sector during the first half of 2015. The five times union leader also drew attention to “serious consequences” on the way as a result of digitalization and of the need to take appropriate measures so as to avoid labor market destabilization of the type occurring in Amazon where the union again took up strike action in seven distribution centers on Monday 21 September.
A consecutive fifth term. At 63 years of age Frank Bsirske embarks on his fifth consecutive 4-year term as head of the services union. The question was raised over his retiring at age 67, a retirement age the Verdi union is highly critical of, to which he replied that whilst he personally was opposed to forcing people to work until age 67 that he was not however against people wanting to work that long. Thus his reelection does not put Verdi into a delicate policy situation with the union’s sta
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