Wolfgang Katzian

Wolfgang Katzian
Wolfgang Katzian in 2014
Chairman of the European Trade Union Confederation
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 May 2023
Preceded by	Laurent Berger
President of the Austrian Trade Union Federation
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 June 2018
Preceded by	Erich Foglar
Personal details
Born	(1956-10-28) 28 October 1956 Stockerau, Austria

Wolfgang Katzian (born October 28, 1956, in Stockerau, Austria) is an Austrian politician and president of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) since June 14, 2018, and president of European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) since May 26, 2023.

Career

After finishing primary and secondary school, Katzian initially enrolled in a commercial academy for a year. Following that, he embarked on an apprenticeship as a banker from 1971 to 1974, and subsequently worked in the foreign exchange department of the Länderbank from 1970 to 1977. His roles evolved over the years: starting as a youth secretary in 1977, then advancing to secretary to the management in 1986, central secretary for education, advertising, and member services in 1992, and finally central secretary for organization at the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA) in 1994. By 2000, he ascended to the position of federal managing director of the GPA. Additionally, in 1990, he assumed the role of deputy secretary, and by 1998, he was appointed as secretary of the Social Democratic Trade Union Group (FSG).

In 2005, he became chairman of the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA), which at the time was Austria's largest trade union. In 2007, the GPA merged with the Union of Private Sector Employees, Printing, Journalism, and Paper (DJP), Austria's oldest trade union, to form the GPA-DJP. Katzian retained his position as Chairman in the new union, which, as of June 2010, remains the largest in Austria. Intermittently since 2006 he has served as member of Austria's National Council for the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). He has been a member of the UNI World Executive board since 2005.

At the ÖGB federal congress in 2009 he was elected chairman of the FSG, and Rainer Wimmer succeeded him in this role in June 2018. On June 14, 2018, he was elected President of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) as the successor to Erich Foglar.

Katzian was also part-time president of the football club FK Austria Wien from 2007 until November 5, 2018. On May 26, 2023, he succeeded Laurent Berger as President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).