The eight individual trade unions together have almost six million members.
(Photo: imago images/Andre Germar)
Berlin The desired profile was clear for a long time. It should be a trade unionist who is just as familiar with labor market policy issues as with the transformation of industry; who ideally has a good political network and not only appears combative at May Day rallies, but can also cut a good figure on talk shows.
But for months the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) struggled to find a candidate who matched this profile. And who also wanted the job that was available. It is now clear that the SPD politician Yasmin Fahimi should head the umbrella organization with its eight individual trade unions. For the first time in the history of the DGB, a woman would become the political voice of the approximately 5.9 million members.
On Wednesday, the DGB national board unanimously submitted the personnel proposal for the successor to Reiner Hoffmann, who will be retiring at the national congress in May. The delegates have the last word in May.
With Fahimi, the partner of a man will lead the trade union federation in the future, who himself was briefly considered for the top job: Michael Vassiliadis. But the chairman of the mining, chemical and energy industry union (IG BCE) did not find unanimous approval among the bosses of the individual unions. From Verdi’s point of view, Vassiliadis, known for his culture of consensus and anchored in the more pragmatic-conservative SPD milieu, was too far to the right.
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Fahimi’s heart, on the other hand, beats to the left. In her youth she belonged to the Marxist Juso-Left in Hanover. This should make it easier to convey to the traditionally left-leaning Verdi supporters.
Vassiliadis did not find a majority
With the nomination, an agonizingly long search process comes to an end. IG Metall boss Jörg Hofmann, whose union had the right to propose, would have liked to see his deputy Christiane Benner in the DGB chief post. But she would rather inherit Hofmann as head of Germany’s largest individual trade union in the coming year and politely declined.
Because things were not progressing, Vassiliadis, who was in charge of finding a successor, finally made himself available at Hofmann’s suggestion – but, as I said, did not find a majority. Finally, Hofmann then suggested Fahimi, but also the head of the area of fundamental questions and social policy at IG Metall and former State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labor, Thorben Albrecht. While the bosses of IG Metall and Verdi favored Albrecht, the other six spoke out in favor of Fahimi.
The 54-year-old graduate chemist began her professional career at IG BCE, where she most recently headed the policy department – and where she met Vassiliadis. At the beginning of 2014, she became Secretary General of the SPD, succeeding Andrea Nahles after she became Federal Labor Minister. Fahimi will not like to think back to the job, the relationship with the then party leader Sigmar Gabriel was fraught with conflict, the bad word about the “wrong cast” made the rounds.
That’s why Fahimi didn’t hesitate for long in exchanging her party office for the position of permanent state secretary in the labor ministry, which Nahles had offered her. For almost two years, in her spacious office in Berlin’s Wilhelmstrasse, she took care of core union issues such as the minimum wage and pension reforms – and worked side by side with Thorben Albrecht, who now has to let her go first.
In the 2017 federal election, Fahimi successfully applied for one of the two direct mandates in her hometown of Hanover, which she won again in last year’s election. As a parliamentarian, she was involved in education and research policy as well as in labor market and social policy.
A large majority is likely
For example, she was chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group in the commission of inquiry “Vocational training in the digital world of work” – a topic that is also becoming increasingly important for the trade unions in view of the transformation. In the coalition negotiations between the SPD, Greens and FDP, she negotiated the chapter on work.
A broad majority for the designated DGB boss at the federal congress on May 22 is likely. “With Yasmin Fahimi, we are gaining an outspoken labor market and training expert who has many years of experience in the trade unions,” said the federal executive board in view of the nomination.
From the IG BCE it was said that Fahimi was “the right candidate at the right time”. They were able to recruit a trade unionist “with heart, mind and a great deal of experience”, who is well networked in federal politics and is a labor market expert recognized across parties and industries.
More: “I would have taken on responsibility” – This is how Michael Vassiliadis’ attempt at the DGB chairmanship failed