6 November 2019
Zagreb, Croatia – Today the 5th EFFAT Congress elected its new team for 2020-2024 mandate.
Congress is EFFAT’s decision-making event, at which its affiliated trade unions decide the course of the federation for the next five years. It elects in particular the EFFAT’s president, Deputy Presidents and Secretary General
EFFAT president Malin Ackholt (HRF, Sweden) was re-elected unanimously, while Kristjan Bragason (Nordic Union HRCT) was installed as General Secretary.
Pia Stalpaert (ACV CSC, Belgium) and Pietro Ruffolo (FLAI CGIL, Italy) were elected as Deputy Presidents.
Nearly 350 trade unionists attended the election and played an active role. The election saw the highest number of women and young workers ever involved.
Malin Ackholt thanked both EFFAT’s member organisations in Croatia and the EFFAT’s secretariat in Brussels: “what a great Congress it is and we could not do it without you. We will continue building trade union power not only in South East Europe but across Europe”.
Mr. Bragason said that over the past years people in Europe have been faced with growing unfairness and division and that the trade union movement would continue to provide the answers: “Based on the fundamental values of democracy, solidarity, equality and sustainability we must start with the improvement of workers’ rights. It has never been as important as in these days to build strong unions as we face growing nationalist movements and marginalized workers with precarious jobs.”
Media contact: Maddalena Colombi – m.colombi@effat.org
ENDS