Bruno Köbele (born 10 August 1934) is a former German trade unionist. Born in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...

, Köbele worked as a bricklayer. He joined the Building and Construction Union (IG BSE) in 1950, and joined the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

in 1957. He was elected to the executive committee of IG BSE in 1969, in which role he became known for his focus on improving vocational training. In 1982, Köbele was elected as vice president of the union, and he also became involved in international trade unionism. In 1985, he was elected as president of the European Federation of Woodworkers. He was elected as president of IG BSE in 1991, and as president of the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW) in 1993. Köbele retired from the IG BSE in 1995, and from the IFBWW in 1997. He became active in the Internationaler Bund, and serving as its president from 2003 until 2013. He holds the First Class

Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kobele, Bruno 1934 births Living people German trade unionists Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from Freiburg im Breisgau