Frank Werneke (M), the current and re-elected chairman of Verdi, receives applause for his re-election at the 6th Federal Congress of the United Services Union at the Estrel Congress Center. Bild: dpa
Frank Werneke hat als Verdi-Vorsitzender eine schillernde Rolle: Weit links im öffentlichen Diskurs, gilt er in den eigenen Reihen als Mahner des Pragmatismus. Bisher mit Erfolg.
GDuring the opening of the Verdi Federal Congress on Sunday, which was attended by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Frank Werneke made a few bold statements that clearly depicted his political framework: „Increase taxes for the wealthy!“ Or: „The profit greed of companies drives up food prices.“ And: „We collectively reject the NATO’s two percent target and the 100-billion-euro program for the Bundeswehr.“
However, anyone who developed the idea that the chairman had also marked the left edge of the debate in his very diverse United Service Trade Union was quickly taught otherwise: The discussion among the 1000 delegates was filled with a series of speeches, among which the demand for a 30-hour work week with full wage and personnel compensation, state wage indexation, and regular general strikes was considered mild.