Friedrich Verzetnitsch (born 22 May 1945) is an Austrian former trade unionist. Born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Verzetnitsch completed an apprenticeship as a pipe fitter and began working for a small business. In 1961, he joined the Union of Metal, Mining and Energy. He became active in the Austrian Trade Union Federation's (ÖGB) youth organisation, and from 1963 was the president of its Vienna region. In 1970, he began working full-time for the ÖGB, and in 1983 he was appointed as general secretary of its executive. In 1986, Verzetnitsch was elected as a Social Democratic Party of Austria member of the National Council. In 1987, he was elected as president of the ÖGB. From 1993 until 2003, he also served as president of the

European Trade Union Confederation The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European Commission and ...

.European Trade Union Confederation Archives; Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis
/ref> In 2000, Verzetnitsch secretly used the ÖGB's strike fund to guarantee the debts of the

BAWAG BAWAG (German language: ''Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft'') was a bank in Austria founded in 1922. On October 1, 2005, it merged with the separate '' Österreichische Postsparkasse'' (P.S.K.) to form the "Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft und Öst ...

bank, which the ÖGB owned. This became public knowledge in 2006, and the resulting scandal led Verzetnitsch to resign all his positions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verzetnitsch, Fritz 1945 births Living people Austrian trade union leaders Members of the National Council (Austria) Social Democratic Party of Austria politicians People from Vienna