PRO-GE is a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing production workers in manufacturing, agriculture and mining, in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The union was founded in November 2009, when the Chemical Workers' Union (GdC) merged with the

Metal-Textile-Food Union The Metal-Textile-Food Union (german: Gewerkschaft Metall-Textil-Nahrung, GMTN) was a trade union representing workers in manufacturing, mining, and agriculture in Austria. The union was founded on 10 May 2006, when the Metal-Textile Union merged ...

(GMTN). On formation, the union had 255,000 members, and was the third largest affiliate of the

Austrian Trade Union Federation The Austrian Trade Union Federation or Austrian Federation of Trade Unions ( de: ''Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund'', abbreviated OeGB or ÖGB) is a labour union of employees. It is constituted as an association and is subdivided into seven ...

. Rainer Wimmer, formerly of the GdC, was elected as the union's first president. While the union recruits across the metal, mining, energy, textiles, leather, agriculture, food processing and tobacco sectors, it also recruits temporary workers in any sector. However, it only recruits

blue collar worker A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...

s, with managers and clerical staff being represented by other unions. The union is affiliated to the

International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) is a global union federation of trade unions with members in a variety of industries, many of which relate to food processin ...

, and the

IndustriALL Global Union IndustriALL Global Union is a global union federation, founded in Copenhagen on 19 June 2012. IndustriALL Global Union represents more than 50 million working people in more than 140 countries, working across the supply chains in mining, energy a ...

Presidents

:2009: Rainer Wimmer

References

External links

* {{Authority control Trade unions in Austria Trade unions established in 2009 Manufacturing trade unions