(8 November 2016) EPSU is delighted to announce that Isolde Kunkel-Weber was elected President of the European Public Services Union (EPSU), this morning. Kunkel-Weber was previously a Vice-President of EPSU and is a Senior Vice-President of PSI and a member of the ETUC’s Executive Committee.
On hearing the news of her election Kunkel-Weber said: 'I am honoured and humbled by the trust and faith my fellow trade union colleagues have shown in me, in electing me to the position of President of EPSU. I will strive to represent and support our members not only in the EU institutions here in Brussels but in all of the places where public service union members fight for their rights and fight for improved public services, financed by a just tax system'.
In welcoming EPSU’s new President the trade union confederation’s General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan said: ‘With Isolde we have a trade unionist with vast experience and immense stature as our new President. In these challenging times as we continue to oppose austerity policies and make the case for increased public expenditure in order to further develop more decent public services, I am convinced that Isolde as President will champion our causes and continue to be a fierce defender of our members rights. Her extensive know-how, not only of the European trade union movement but of the increasingly complex European picture and European institutional environment. She will be a significant asset for EPSU as we move forward actively addressing the structural reforms and a range of on-going issues, which continue to impact heavily on our members, their families and communities’.
Francoise Geng, herself a candidate, greeted the election of Isolde; she said: ‘I welcome the election of Isolde, a great comrade in promoting the rights of public service workers and fighting for equal rights for both women and men. Women’s rights are being attacked in several countries in the EU and I look forward to working with Isolde and the rest of EPSU to stand up for women rights’.
The Executive Committee also elected Mette Nord as EPSU’s new vice-president. Mette is the President of the Norwegian union Fagforbundent. With Francoise, Dave Prentis, Mikhail Kuzmenko, Mette and Isolde, EPSU has a strong leadership team to confront the difficult times ahead. Together they will fight for a better future for Europe, a Europe where social justice, democracy, sustainable growth and high quality public services return to the centre of Europe’s vision.
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