Christine Behle, deputy chairwoman of the Verdi trade union. dpa
The husband of deputy chairwoman Christine Behle got a permanent job at the Verdi federal headquarters shortly after she was elected to the head of the union.
The husband works for the trade union federation ITF. Also on the board there: his wife Christine Behle. The ex-husband of the deputy federal chairperson also has a permanent position at Verdi’s headquarters.
Numerous members now accuse Behle behind closed doors of felt. A Verdi spokesman sees no conflict of interest and claims that the husband is employed by the ITF. Ironically, trade union colleagues from the ITF officially contradict Verdi’s claim.
At Verdi, Christine Behle is a woman with great ambition. She is currently the second woman in Germany’s second-largest union with 1.9 million members – and apparently has not yet reached her goal. Numerous senior Verdi officials report that Behle’s drive to head the service union has been an open secret within the union for years. The current boss Frank Werneke and Behle are internally considered competitors.
Technically, however, Behle is valued by Werneke and her opponents within the union. She is responsible for the areas of transport and public service. In the case of the latter in particular, Behle loudly denounced grievances, poor working conditions and low salaries. Their union colleagues also like to denounce suspected nepotism in public and private companies, particularly when it occurs in the boardrooms.