After political turmoil

For the first time, a woman sits in the chair of the ÖGB

Sonja Föger-Kalchschmied.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Sonja Föger-Kalchschmied was elected executive ÖGB regional chairwoman in Tyrol on Monday. The change at the top is the result of political turbulence within the Tyrolean SPÖ. The previous head of the ÖGB, Philip Wohlgemuth, moved to the provincial government. He succeeded Georg Dornauer, who is known to have stepped aside following the hunting affair.

At the ÖGB provincial executive committee meeting, the voting members elected Sonja Föger-Kalchschmied, the previous deputy ÖGB provincial chairwoman and ÖGB provincial women's chairwoman, as managing ÖGB chairwoman in Tyrol with 88.4 percent. This makes her the first woman to head an ÖGB regional organization, it was reported.

Works councils and other priorities
Föger-Kalchschmied named the promotion of the establishment of works councils and the current challenges in the areas of the labor market, care, health and gender equality as her first priorities.

Hunting affair set the ball rolling
With her election, Föger-Kalchschmied is following in the footsteps of Philip Wohlgemuth. The latter moved to the Tyrolean state government at the end of last year and replaced Georg Dornauer as deputy governor. Dornauer was famously involved in the controversial hunting affair surrounding René Benko.

The former SPÖ leader is now a member of the provincial parliament - where he took the place of Föger-Kalchschmied of all people.